A Traveling Alchemist
by chi-ji-dragon
Summary: Marith Gloomwood and Tsukiko Shinigami and their pet Suna, are travelers. They have mixed feelings when they're placed under watch by the Flame Fuher.
1. Chapter 1

**Chi: Chi-Ji-Dragom here with another FMAB story. This is NOT completely mine! THIS WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED BY A WOLF12832 ON DEVIANTART. WE DECIDED TO COLLABORATE ON THIS! The way it works is he writes a chapter than I do. Uploading time may vary since I seem to take forever and then he takes somewhat quickly, sometimes he gets busy with his other stories.**

 **Please put in the following link to visit his profile/page. Though take out the '_'. Thank you have a wonderful day~! If you find you can't use thee link it WILL be on my profile!**

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In a village in a desert area between Xing and Ishbal, within a small hut on the outskirts, lies a secret. A secret that's about to be revealed. From underneath the hut, there was an explosion. It was big enough to wipe the uncharted village out of existence. The explosion that enormous would've killed everyone, but there was one survivor.

The survivor was wearing an all-black dress, with gloves, hooded cloak, and glasses that looked like Major Miles', but were also all black. The survivor removed the hood off of her head, revealing her silver-colored hair. Her strait hair was blowing in the wind, than she removed her glasses. She opened her eyes, revealing her eyes as a really deep purple, nearly black in color. Her skin was clearly white, but with a hint of Xingese skintone mixed in.

"Good-bye, Father. May you suffer for your sins against this village." the survivor said.

Than she placed her glasses back on. Fixed her hair and put her hood back on top of her head. She turned away from the burning, mostly abandon village, and walked east towards Xing. After about a week later, she arrived at a guard post and a town.

"Name?" the guard called out to her.

"Gloomwood. Marith Gloomwood." Marith said.

"Welcome to Xing, Ms. Gloomwood." the Guard said.

The guard opened the gate, allowing Marith to enter the great nation of Xing. As Marith walks around the village, she saw a lot of homeless Xingese people begging for money. She looked onto one of the posters that were hanging up, it was talking about the crowning of the new Emperor. She continued until she found a direct route to the main city.

When she arrived at the main city, she found it crowded. Before long, she found herself at the Town Center. It was crowded, more than the other streets nearby. Than the trumpets were being blown, and a few robed figures climbed onto the stage. Than one of them sat in a fancy chair. Than another guy, with a funny looking hat on, unrolled a scroll and said, "Since Ling Yao has discovered the power of immortality, he is your new Emperor!" and the crowd cheered. Everyone, except for Marith.

After spending some more time in Xing, she was getting bored. She was also not wanting to stay in one location for too long, for some unknown reasons to her. She soon found a small cave behind a waterfall. Later that night, under a full moon, she heard a commotion outside. She slowly peeked around the waterfall. She saw a group of Xingese men and they were trying to make a Xingese woman remove her robe. Marith decided to intervene, for the sake of the woman. She don't know why she is intervening, but she had a feeling that this isn't with the Xingese woman's approval.

"Hey, you Xingese men, leave her alone." Marith said.

They looked at her and laughed, "Butt out, Amestrisian. How we treat our homeless isn't up to you." said one of the men.

"Men. They are all the same." Marith said, than she clapped her gloved hands together.

There was a deep purple glow surrounding her, and there was a glow of the same shade coming from her gloves. The glow on the gloves were revealing a symbol on both gloves. The symbol was a circle with an upside-down triangle. There was three symbols appearing at each of the three angles. At the bottom was a human skull. At the left corner of the triangle, was a raven, and it was looking down at the skull. Lastly, in the right hand angle of the triangle, was an image of a Hemlock. She, than slammed her palms into the ground and created a skeletal scythe, with a chain of finger bones, tied by sinew. At the end of the chain, was a skull of a wolf.

She threw the skull at the man whom was holding onto the woman. The skull opened its mouth and grabbed onto the man's neck. When Marith yanked on the chain, to make the skull come back to her, it ripped through the man's neck, completely decapitating him. The woman screamed and fainted. The man's blood flowed into the pond nearby. The man's buddies decided to attack Marith, whom easily sliced off three more heads, which fell into the same pond. Their bodies fell onto the ground, spilling the contains all over the ground.

"Screw this! We're outta here!" said another man.

Marith threw the skull at the man, from behind and dragged him back to her. She, than, pulled the man onto his feet, facing away from her. She drove the scythe's blade into a thick bamboo, to restrict the man's movements. She clapped her hands together and placed them upon the man's back. The same Alchemy circle that is on her gloves appeared upon the man's chest, and the man screamed. As he was screaming, the last two men were grabbing onto their own heads, and were also screaming.

Before long, the two men's brains imploded, killing them. The last man, the one with her alchemy mark on his chest, he was cooked from the inside. Her alchemy mark remained upon his chest. She walked over to the woman, and carried her inside the cave. She, than bathed the woman and gave her one of her old clothing, to replace the blooded old one. When the Xingese police arrived, Marith and the woman left the area, for another region within Xing. When they stopped, Marith bought the woman a black version of hers normal Xingese robe.

After putting the robe on, with a Crimson sash, white socks and a pair of Xingese shoes, they found a isolated area within the woods. When they settled down, the Xingese woman stared at Marith.

"Who are you?" the Xingese woman asked.

"I'm Marith Gloomwood." Marith said, "And what is your name?"

"I..." the woman said, "I'm Tsukiko"

Marith looked at Tsukiko, "Nice to meet you. Are you truely homeless?"

"Yes, I am." Tsukiko said.

"Well," Marith said, than looked away from Tsukiko, "I am as well."

"Than, May I come with you?" Tsukiko said.

Marith looked at Tsukiko, "Sure. I'm not much of a talker, just to let you know, now."

"I'm used to not talking." Tsukiko said.

"Let's go to bed. We'll worry about all of that in the morning." Marith said.

Tsukiko laid down onto a log and said, "Good night, Marith."

"Good night." Marith said, while looking away from Tsukiko, and laying on her own log.

The following morning, they moved onto another Xing village. While they were in transit, Marith decided to talk to Tsukiko, to pass away the time.

"Tsukiko, who is this Ling fellow?" Marith asked, while looking at a poster.

"He was the son of the past Emperor, Marith." Tsukiko said, with a lot of unusual amount of energy, "They said that he went to Amestris and discover the secret of immortality! I really want to visit Amestris. Have you been there?"

"No. I was always kept inside my room. Whenever I did ventured out, I was usually kept within my own house." Marith looked away from the poster.

Tsukiko wrapped her arms around her, "Well, at least you are away from your home now."

"Yeah..." Marith said unsure of what else to say. An eerie silence filled the air.

"So what were your parents like?" Tsukiko asked breaking the silence. Marith knew that her father was cruel but couldn't understand or remember why. Nor could she remember anything about her mother.

"I can't remember." Marith told her but not letting in on anything else. "What about yours?" Marith asked to avoid an uncomfortable silence.

"They got sick because of living on the streets and they didn't get any medical attention." Tsukiko replied turning eerie silence into a dark mood that didn't seem to bother Marith so much.

"So how did he learn the secret of immortality?" Marith brought the original topic back up.

"Apparently he helped someone and discovered it in the process." Tsukiko told her. "I don't know who he was helping though." Tsukiko pointed out. Both of the women seemed to be expecting the other to talk. But as both were used to silence neither knew what to say. "So why do you travel?" Tsukiko asked curiously.

"I travel because I don't like being in one place for too long." Marith replied.

"Then how about we travel to Amestris someday?" Tsukiko inquired smiling still full of energy.

"Why not." Marith told her liking the idea slightly. The transit came to a stop as the two left. Tsukiko glad that she might get to visit Amestris with her hopefully new friend.

They found another place, once again, in the woods, to spend the night. As they were setting up a campfire, some bandits surrounded them and tied up Marith.

"Marith!" Tsukiko screamed.

"Well, this is going to be differcult." Marith thought to herself.

The bandits were laughing, as they were approaching Tsukiko. She looked around, but didn't had a weapon in hand. She was beginning to shake.

"This one will fetch a nice price on the black market." one of the bandits grabbed one of Tsukiko's arms.

Marith activated her alchemy and impaled the bandit. Than she ccreated another spike to cut her bindings off. She ran over to Tsukiko, and removed her cloak and glasses. She opened up her mouth and her teeth were looking more like fangs.

"You blasted bandits have now made me very angry!" Marith slammed her fists together.

Marith droved her fists into the ground and white marble encased her. Than she moved, and the marble looked more like a skeletal armor. With a simple stomp, she made two weapons appeared from the ground; her normal scythe that she had created earlier, and a katana. The katana was about three feet long. It was comprised of a skeletal hand, for the handle. The wrapping underneith the hand was the small intetine of a human being. The blade is made up of two compressed skeletal human spines, tied by sinew and sharpen to a razor edge.

Marith attacked, with Tsukiko in tow. The first bandit who was slained, was slained by Tsukiko, as she was trying to protect Marith. The katana expanded and wrapped itself around the bandit's neck. When Tsukiko pulled the katana back to her, it decapated the bandit. Within a span of ten minutes, all the bandits died. Tsukiko quickly pickpocketed the corpses while Marith dissolves her armor and retrieve her stuff. As soon as Marith placed her hood onto her head and her glasses as well, Tsukiko walked over to her.

"Here, Marith." Tsukiko handed a sackful of Xingese coins, "I insist."

Marith, unwillingly accepted the sack of money. As Marith was pocketing the money, she noticed Tsukiko was doing something she wasn't prepared for, Tsukiko was on her knees, and bowing towards Marith.

Feeling awkward, "Tsukiko, please stand up. This is embarrising."

Not moving her head, nor standing up, "Please train me, Marith. Train me in your alchemy. Because we were poor, I never was trained how to fight. I mainly ran away from danger. This was the first time I ran into a fight. I realized that I actually like fighting, and killing. Please train me, I'm begging you."


	2. Chapter 2

The purple light flashed again in the forest. A slightly crooked skeletal scythe appeared. The campfire showed the chain of finger bones tied by sinew was weaker then Marith's. It was dark outside with only the light of the almost full moon and campfire to reveal anything in the dark. The purple glow faded showing the mistake. Tsukiko stared at the scythe for a minute noticing it still looked different compared to Marith's but the best so far. It had a month since the bandits had attacked Marith and Tsukiko. Tsukiko had asked Marith to teach her how to fight and use Marith's type of alchemy. Marith had refused at first but Tsukiko had convinced Marith to teach her. Tsukiko has been her apprentice for a week and a half now.

Marith's circle was a circle with an upside down triangle in it. At the bottom corner was a human skull. At the top right corner was a raven staring at the skull. In the top left corner was hemlock. But Tsukiko's circle was different. At the center was the Hindu symbol of long life. At the bottom corner of the triangle was an hourglass. At the top right corner was a Cobra baring its teeth. At the top left corner was a Lily.

"Close. You've improved quite a bit." Marith told her apprentice. Marith's gloves glowed as she clapped her hands and slapped the ground. Purple lightning flashed as the same exact scythe appeared. But was stronger. "Now combat practice." Marith said.

"Alright." Tsukiko replied. Neither were to hurt the other badly. The point was to break the other ones weapon and corner them before they could transmute another. Tsukiko had yet to win as Marith was always swift and deadly. Marith threw the scythe but still held onto the handle to send the wolf skull hurtling towards the other scythe. Tsukiko jumped to the side and repeated the same move as Marith but aiming for the chain. The wolf skull of, Marith's scythe, bit empty air before Marith pulled on it and brought it back to her barely dodging Tsukiko's attack. Tsukiko pulled on her's as well. The lack of energy tonight was rather evident. But that didn't really surprise Marith. Tsukiko had been on the lesson for about an hour. While Marith showed no hints of exhaustion Tsukiko was showing vague hints. Marith stood her scythe next to her.

"Let's call it a night." Marith declared, clapping her hands and resting them on the scythe which was reduced to a pile of earth after a moment.

"So where do we go tomorrow?" Tsukiko asked as she did the same.

"I thought a change of scenery might be good." Marith said indicating she was talking about how most of the places seemed dark and homeless people begged a lot. But festivals and laughing children did brighten it up. "We're going to Amestris. But crossing the desert won't be easy." Marith warned.

"Really?!" Tsukiko asked excited. Marith nodded as a smile was painted on Tsukiko's face.

The next morning,

Marith roused early like usual. She quickly put her pitch black glasses on and walked over to Tsukiko. Marith lightly shook her. Her eyes flickered open before she got up. The two made there way east to reach the desert. But first stopped at a Xingese town for food and water during the journey there. Thanks to the money from the bandits a well who it wasn't hard paying for it. Tsukiko only seemed slightly faxed by the heat of the desert. Marith on the other hand knew exactly what to expect and wasn't bothered by it.

"Marith, how come you seen to know exactly where we're going?" Tsukiko inquired. It was a little after noon by now. Marith did know that her hometown was in this desert. But since there was the explosion it was wiped out and it was likely that desert bandits and animals had already taken anything left. And it was an uncharted town.

"I used to live in the desert, but an explosion wiped everyone out except me." Marith told her pressing forward against the sand.

"Oh? I didn't know there were any towns out here." Tsukiko mummered. "But that's pretty neat. Have you ever been to the ruins of Xerexes?" Tsukiko asked.

"Xerexes?" Marith said.

"So you haven't. Supposedly it was a huge city but was wiped out in one night. There wasn't any survivors and no-one knows what killed them and destroyed most of it. Apart from that there's not much else known. The Eastern Sage also came from Xerexes or beyond." Tsukiko explained.

"An Eastern Sage?" Marith said still a bit confused.

"Yeah he brought Alkahestry to Xing supposedly." Tsukiko told her. "I've always wondered who exactly the Eastern Sage was and what happened to Xerexes." Tsukiko thought aloud.

"Yeah." Marith agreed.


	3. Chapter 3

As they were walking, Marith and Tsukiko saw structures off in the distance. Tsukiko was ready to run, but Marith blocked her. Tsukiko, by this point became quite obedient towards Marith, where a simple gesture tells Tsukiko everything Marith wants her to do.

"That's not Xerexes?" Tsukiko asked.

"No. That's my former hometown." Marith sighed, "It's Kum Köy."

The town was in total ruin. There was no sign of life nor inhabitation. As they looked throughout the town, Tsukiko found a small dog. It blended into the sand. Tsukiko brought the pup over to Marith.

Marith placed her hand on the pup, "It'll die if we don't give it water soon. Follow me."

Tsukiko, while carring the pup, followed Marith to a home. When they got inside, Marith seemed to know exactly where the water was in the house. After giving the pup some water and a little of their ration, Marith recognized the pup's breed.

"That's a Sand-Wolf. If this one was abandoned out here, its mother was captured. Sand-Wolves are highly prized in the Amestrisian Underground for being fierce fighters, but their hides are even more valuble." Marith informed Tsukiko, "They are quite loyal and obedient towards their alphas."

"How did you know your way around this house, Marith?" Tsukiko inquired.

"This was my home." Marith sighed.

The wind started howling louder and than sand start whipping across the broken town. Tsukiko grabbed the pup and tried to find a place to hide. Marith opened up a door and all three went inside. They soon found another door, but this one was steel and iron.

"Password?" a computer voiced asked.

"Cum Occidens Corvus dicit, Ad Orientem cicutae luco, Præparate foramen austri, Quem enim diligit." Marith spoked into the microphone.

The door opened up, revealing a, still clean, Labatory. Tsukiko ran in after Marith, than the doors closed. Tsukiko placed the puppy onto the floor, and looked around. She was getting nervious.

"Don't worry, Tsukiko. It is a sandstorm. So we can't leave for about a day, no big deal." Marith sat down in a office chair.

"Can we leave through that door that we came in?" Tsukiko pointing at the door.

"Yes, than it will lose all power and will never open again." Marith stated, "Well since we be staying here for the night, we can at least train and bathe."

Than they started training in Death Alchemy and fighting. Tsukiko was getting much better with her fighting, but not enough to truely win. She got so focused on landing a strike, she sliced through Marith's chest, and laid eyes upon a red glowing stone within it, than the wound healed itself.

"Now that actually hurt. You have improved, but not your control of yourself." Marith stated.

"What was that?" Tsukiko inquired, "Sorry about injuring you?"

"That is a Philospher Stone, Tsukiko. With it, an Alchemist can even play God. My father was one of them. Normally, a person whom becomes a Homonculi forgets their human past, but Iremeber everything." Marith walked over to a cupboard and revealed a much smaller version of the stone, "And this one was created with the citizens of this town. No matter what these stones must be protected at all cost."

Tsukiko looked at Marith, "If somebody removes that stone out of you, will you die?"

"I'm guessing so. All my father ever taught me was to kill. He even taught me a skill that will kill you, if you try to do it." Marith walking around, "Enough training for now. I need to bathe, and there isn't another spot to bathe for miles."

Before long, all three of them were in the bath. Tsukiko was cleaning the pup's fur. Than the pup start burying itself closer to Tsukiko.

"Hey, stop it." Tsukiko said, "I think I will name you Suka no Kage, 'Shadow of the Sand'. What do you think?"

The pup barked happily and licked Tsukiko. Marith smiled, "I like the name, and I think Suka does too."

After they dried off, Marith went to bed, but Tsukiko and Suka remained awake. Tskukiko was fixinging her Xingese warrior outfit. She was sewing on the Xingese symbol for Death, 'Shi', on the back of her outfit, it was in crimson, with a white background. Than she tattooed on her right upper arm, close to the shoulder, the Xingese symbol for blood, 'Chi'. It was in black ink, and she was using a sewing needle for the tattooing. Once she was done with that, she found some excess tan, gold, and black fabrics. She made a vest for Suka, with the Xingese symbol for Suka's name in black. The vest itself is tan, with a golden circle.

"There, Suka. We both have better outfits on. Now, we can show our loyality towards Marith. I'll make sure that you are one well-trained Sand-Wolf when we are done." Tsukiko petting the dog.

They went to bed, nearby Marith. When they woked up, Martih was in an, expressionless, emotionless, and silient shock. She saw Tsukiko's new outfit and tattoo. She likes Suka's new vest, but is surprised by Tsukiko's.

"I'm beginning to wonder if she was born in the year of the Sand-Wolf?" Marith thought to herself as she searched her former home before leaving.

She retrieved the bottle of the red liquid from its cabinet and stashed it inside her pocket. She than placed her glasses on, and pulled up her hood. They refilled their bottles and rations, with more food and water, for Suka, whom, until he gets bigger, be carried by Tsukiko.

"Ready?" Marith asked.

"We're ready!' Tsukiko proclaimed and Suka gave a bit a loud arf.

With that, they resumed their traveling through the desert area towards Xerexes. The sun blaring down upon the trio. Marith, with a lot of black clothing, wasn't having any problems. Tsukiko, with her new outfit which exposes her arms and legs, was beginning to sweat, a little. Suka, the Sand-Wolf pup, fell asleep in Tsukiko's arms, making her sweat even more. Whatever lays in wait for them, Tsukiko couldn't wait for it to come.


	4. Chapter 4

Marith had decided it was best to not mention the tattoo but wasn't going to let Tsukiko off the hook for now. Marith double checked that she had the stone. Suna, the sand wolf pup, licked Tsukiko and slightly scratched at its vest.

Marith paused in her tracks and handed some water to Tsukiko who gratefully accepted it.

"Do you know how close we are to Xerexes?" Tsukiko asked taking a deep breath and letting Suna have some water as well. Marith pointed to a faint outline on the horizon.

"That should be Xerexes unless there's more towns out here which I highly doubt." Marith told her. Tsukiko's eyes widened in amazement. They were almost half way across the desert and almost to Xerexes.

"I wonder what it'll be like." Tsukiko wondered in excitement.

"Me to." Marith agreed as the two started walking. Suna was getting antsy and kept trying to jump into the sand and play but Tsukiko kept her under control. The buildings got closer and became more visible.

"Do you think we'll find anyone there? It is pretty famous." Tsukiko wondered.

"You never know. We might, we might not." Marith gave a slightly amused smile.

The two got closer to the buildings with the squirming sand wolf pup until they towered over them. Marith and Tsukiko looked around the ruins. At first glance it seemed deserted but it looked as if the few gems on the walls were polished.

"Wow... It's beautiful here." Tsukiko breathed in not noticing her grip on Suka loosened. Suna jumped out of Tsukiko's hand and made a mad dash through the ruins. Tsukiko and Marith chased after her immediately and noticed that she ran into a small shelter under one of the ruins. Suna whimpered once underneath and curled up. Marith glanced through it and saw a sandy shade of hair. This was where Suna was born. "It's alright. Come here." Tsukiko smiled to Suna understanding the situation. Suna obeyed her and came out still whimpering. Tsukiko kept a tighter grip on Suna while they walked. Tsukiko saw a fountain in the corner of her eye. It was filled to the brim and shimmered in the sunlight. "Marith, there's a fountain." Tsukiko pointed out. Marith turned towards it. Both wondering how the water hadn't evaporated yet. The water wasn't poisonous otherwise there would've been some type of proof. "You think it's alright?" Tsukiko asked.

"Yeah." Marith told her refilling the bottle containing very little water. Suna bent her head down low enough to drink as well. "It's deserted here but it seems as if someone must have been here. Those gems on the walls were polished." Marith stated. "And it would have to of occurred in the past few hours because of the sandstorm." Marith finished.

"But the ruins are beautiful nonetheless." Tsukiko told her, Marith agreed. They continued moving through the ruins until they had left. The sun still shined down on Tsukiko mercilessly but as usual Suna and Marith were pretty much immune to it. But it came to an end before very long and released a bright cold moon with thousands of shining stars.

"We'll make camp here." Marith told her.

"Right here on the ground?!" Tsukiko asked shocked.

"Yes right here on the ground." Marith rolled her eyes before pointing to a sandy cliff that towered near them and held several caves. "You have to be careful which one you enter. A few might have wild animals sleeping in them." Marith warned but had already observed which would be the best and walked right in. Tsukiko followed her. "We should be able to arrive in Amestris early tomorrow." Marith stated as she rolled out her blanket on the hard sandy floor before getting out some bread and water. She split it into thirds and gave Tsukiko and Suna some. Suna was more then eager to run around. Tsukiko accepted the bread gratefully. The night was quiet apart from Suna playing until exhaustion and curling up to Tsukiko.

"Suna is adorable, don't you think so?" Tsukiko asked Marith scratching Suna's ear.

"Yeah." Marith agreed.

"Xerxes was amazing. I never though I'd actually get to go there." Tsukiko smiled. Marith nodded swallowing the last bite of her bread.

"We should head onto bed. Sleep well." Marith told her before adding, "And don't put on anymore tattoos." Tsukiko nodded, as she had no intention of doing it anyway. Tsukiko curled up and pulled the blanket half way onto her.

The next morning,

Suna jumped around playfully waking up both Marith and Tsukiko and grateful that Suna had not attempted to run off. The two walked through the desert with the merciless sun still beaming. Suna was even more energetic and was causing Tsukiko quite a bit of trouble. Marith once more saw a building in the distance and gave a light smile before pointing it out to Tsukiko. It was late afternoon.

"That's Amestris." Marith smiled at her.

"Really?!" Tsukiko exclaimed cheerfully.

"We might actually have crossed the border yesterday or earlier. Because a map I once saw of Amestris showed that the first town wasn't until a bit further into Amestris." Marith pointed out. Tsukiko wondered how and when though Marith had seen the map. By the time it was early evening they had arrived.

"Hello, Miss." A shop owner greeted them as they wandered through the village. Tsukiko nodded back. The shop owner noticed there odd appearance. "You'll must've crossed the desert, no?" he inquired. Marith nodded in reply before he gave a cheerful smile. "Well then, welcome to Liore." he grinned.

"It's nice having a surprise waiting everyday for us. First discovering we were going to Amestris, then Marith's hometown and the stone thing. Xerxes and Liore." Tsukiko thought to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Marith and Tsukiko, with Suna in her arms, were walking around Liore. Marith remembered all the stories about the place. She looked at the remodeled buildings, with an unexpression awe. They found a place where they could get a bite.

They walked in and found themselves a table. Suna sat down in the chair and was pantting. Tsukiko sat beside her, with Marith sat on the other side. After a couple minutes, a lady with brown hair, but pinkish bangs walked up to their table.

"Is there anything you be getting today?" the woman asked, "I'm Rose."

"I'm Marith, and these are Tsukiko and Suna." Marith pointing at them, which caused Suna to bark, once, "I'll get the special, and make that three.", as she was watching Tsukiko rotating the menu in a circle.

"Three specials coming up." Rose said, than left.

After she left, Tsukiko looked around, amazed at the sights. Marith smerked at the sight that Tsukiko was giving. Tsukiko saw the smile.

"What's so funny, Marith?" Tsukiko asked.

"Why, you are, Tsukiko." Marith snickered.

Before Tsukiko could retort, their meals arrived. After paying for the meals, Tsukiko prayed, and Suna did her best imitation. Marith simply waited, until they were done, than all three soon as they were done eating, they heard racing engines. They saw a truck, being chased by no less than four East Military vehicles. The truck crashes and about seven people came out of the vehicle. The military trucks surrounded the seven, and stopped.

"Put your hands up! You're surrounded!" one of the soliders commanded.

The last man to climb out of the destroyed truck, clapped his hands together, and the truck nearby the commanding officer, exploded. It killed the officer and few others instantitly. It injured twice as many, even a few innocents who happened to be close to the action. Not wanting another innocent to die, Marith turned towards Tsukiko.

"Tsukiko, stay here and protect these people. That's a command!" Marith commanded.

"Shì de, fūrén!" Tsukiko saluted, than faced Suna, "Heel.", and Suna obeyed.

Marith raced towards the injured Military. One of the soldiers looked up, "Halt! Don't come closer!"

"I know what I'm doing. You, non-Alchemists stay out of the way!" Marith yelled back.

The remaining soldiers didn't try to stop her. She looked at the seven, and somehow able to judge their abilities, just from a look.

"Only one Alchemist? Easy." Marith smiled, than clapped her hands to create her scythe.

This one act shocked all in the proxy of the action, except Tsukiko and Suna.

"Who are you?" The opposing Alchemist asked.

"I'm Marith Gloomwood. I am the daughter of the late Dr. Franklin Edward Glloomwood, the Reanimation Alchemist." Mairth proclaimed.

"The Reanimation Alchemist!" the opposing Alchemist said, clearly scared,and quickly clapped his hands to try to stop her.

Marith quickly dodged the Alchemist's attack. Marith threw the wolf head at the Alchemist, whom dodged it, barely. The Alchemist attacked again, but caused a giant portion of a building to break loose. It was falling towards one of the remaining six memebers of the Alchemist's group. Instead of attacking the Alchemist, she backswing the wolf-head and chain towards the falling debris. The skull grabbed hard and tight onto the debris. Marith, than foward swing the chain. When the Alchemist saw the incoming debris, he channeled his alchemy and destroyed the debris. The wolf skull were than free and it grabbed onto the Alchemist's head, tightly. Marith wrapped the chain around the man's neck, and pulled as tight as she could, without her prey passing out.

"You are too dangerous to be kept alive." Marith growled, "You are the first in a long while to experence the Gloomwood Family Forbidden Technique!"

Than bones and flesh came out of the ground, creating a complete isolation dome around the two Alchemists. Marith removed the skull, so the rival Alchemist can watch the technnique. She stabbed the Alchemist, with her right gloved hand. It went strait through the man, and he screamed. She opened her hand, to form a claw-like posture. Slightly above her palm, the Alchemist saw his own blood leaving his body, and it was forming of all things, a Philospher's Stone.

Martih devilishly grinned and said, with a slight growly voice, "Gloomwood Forbidden Technique: One-Soul Stone Ritual."

When the stone was completely form, and hardened, Marith removed her arm from the cold corpse. She clapped her hands and the dome disingrated into ash. The remaining six were too scared to attack. The military soldiers were amazed by the item within Marith's fingers.

"Give up, men?" Marith evily smiled.

The soldiers present never saw any lawbreakers hit the ground faster than the six after Marith had asked that question. The few soldiers that could move on their own, arrested the remain men, and Marith. They removed the corpse, but Tsukiko, with Suna in tow, came running in to free Marith. As soon as she was about to clap her hands, a stone wall appeared. Tsukiko was, than quickly handcuffed as well. Suna remained reletively quiet, as long as she was on Tsukiko's lap.

As soon as they got to the Military's headquarters, the soldiers spereated the original six from Marith's group. They placed Tsukiko and Suna into one holding cell, with Marith in another one. After the Military took care of the original six, they went and interrogated Tsukiko, first. She told them that Marith is her only friend, outside of Suna. She also told them that of how Marith had saved her, twice, as well her original reluctance of teaching anybody her brand of Alchemy. Tsukiko told them everything besdies that Marith has one Philospher's stone in her pocket, and another giving her life.

Once they were containt with Tsukiko, they tried Marith, but she was very tight-lipped. Annoyed, the commanding officer of the base contacted his higher-up, Furhur Roy Mustang. Roy, intrequied by the stories, requested that Marith be shipped to Central, immeadilly.

"Sir, what about her partner and their pet dog? Her partner can also do some of the same alchemy. Actually, her partner is the subject's apprentice." the base commander said into the reciever.

"Bring them here, as well, Major." Roy commanded though the speaker.

"Yes, Sir!" the base commander saluted, towards a wall, than he hunged up the phone.

The base commander ordered his men to move the three subjects, if you include Suna, into a train car, with a couple soldiers from Central. The Central guards were Second Lieutenant Maria Ross and Sergeant First Class Danny Brosh. During the train ride, they tried, or at least Danny tried, to start a consversation. When he was getting nothing from Marith, he swapped with Maria and tried to talk to Tsukiko.

"If you are planning on dating my apprentice, I'll protect her, and Suna as well." Marith said, without moving her head.

Upon hearing her name, Suna jump up from a sound sleep, and growl at Danny. Both Central guards were surprised by the absolute obedence showed by Suna. The only other dog they had saw with that amount of loyality and obedence, was Black Hayate. Suna soon calmed down and went back to sleep, with Tsukiko joining wasn't making any sounds, they assumed that she had fallen asleep as well.

When they arrived at Central, Tsukiko was worried."First time in Central, and I'm a criminal."

They were lead to the Furhur's office. They were placed in chairs in front of Roy, Riza, and a few other members of the military.

"Thank you. Please make sure that no one interrupts us." Roy commanded.

"Sir!" they saluted, than left.

One of the military soldiers removed Marith's glasses, revealng her unnatural purple eyes. Riza tried not to show it, but she was shocked with Marith's eyes. Marith noticed the reaction.

"What's wrong, Riza Hawkeye? Daughter of Berthold Hawkeye, the mentor of the current Furhur. Whom is also the son-in-law of the former Furhur Grumman. You are Mustang's girlfriend, but whenever you are alone, you hum that 'Here comes the Bride' melody. Speaking about your past, you have the secrets of Flame Alchemy on your back, but it was burned into unreadable scorch spot." Marith smiled, "You even fought against almost every single Homonculi about five years prior. Am I correct?"

Riza's, as well as Roy's reaction were more visible of shock. Riza even had to be excuse from the room, to regain her nerve, which Roy permitted. Tsukiko was both surprised, and scared, of another secret that her friend, mentor, and only family she has left, had revealed.

"I heard that you can create a stone, from just one guy." Roy raised and eyebrow, "Is this true?"

"It is a forbidden technique, for a reason, Roy Mustang." Marith sighing.

"Well, first of all, thank you for your aid, but now we are in a pickle." Roy sighing as well, "I could send you to prison for murder. That will mean your friend will try to do her alchemy, and might take herself out. Or, I could have you become a State Alchemist and you can continue training her in your Alchemy. Of course, you will have to be required, especially with your kind of Alchemy, to update your supervisor, of my choosing."

"You are going to put me with Edward 'Fullmetal' Elric and his younger, but taller, brother Alphonse 'Armored' Elric. If I agree to be a 'Dog of the Military', am I correct, 'Flame' Furhur?" Marith slightly growled.

Roy thought, "Hm, she sure does have Franklin's smartmouth remarks down pat. Also, she correct with that one. For some as dangerous as she, Fullmetal is the only one I could trust, whom isn't directly part of the military."

"Marith, can I ask a question, to the leader of this nation?" Tsukiko asked.

"Go ahead, Tsukiko." Marith simply said.

"Furhur, if we do become State Alchemists, will we have to kill, anyone?" Tsukiko asked.

"Hopefully, not. Fullmetal, even when ordered to, he never killed a single life." Roy smiled.

"That's good." Tsukiko smiled, than leaned towards Marith, "Let's go with their offer, Marith, please? I don't want to be homeless in a foregin land. It was bad enough back home, Marith. Without you, I won't survive." She was practically pleading with Marith, now.

Marith actually shed a tear, because deep down, she took a liking to her new friend. She trusts her friend-turned-apprentice more than any ruler. Hating herself, for being a monster, she look up at Roy.

"Alright, Roy. I'll be a State Alchemist, but Tsukiko and Suna must remain at my side, NO MATTER WHAT." Marith growled into a yell.

"Alright. Let the testing begin." Roy commanded.

A soldier brought in a Chimera, and Tsukiko, with Suna, moved out of her way. Marith clapped her hands together, stomped the ground, with her right foot, and it formed her scythe. She attacked the Chimera, but it simply dodged. She created strains of sinew from the chain, and like a puppeteer, maniplate the wolf-skull-chain, like a snakecharmer.

Roy leaned over, with Riza, whom returned, whispered to Tsukiko, "Can you do that?"

"No. I can barely get my scythe to look perfect, compares to her scythe." Tsukiko whispered.

Than Marith was able to latch the wolf-skull onto the Chimera's head, she turned towards the crowd, "Normal attack or Forbidden?"

"I want to see your forbidden technique, if it is true and real." Roy said.

Marith nodded. She wrapped the chain around the Chimera's neck and pulled tightly. She repeated the same ritual that made her come to Central, but without the blind covering the scene. The fear and amazement was highly appearent upon the faces there. Marith had created a stone, larger than the last one, from one Chimera. Marith removed her hand from the corpse and handed the stone over to Roy.

"Gloomwood Forbidden Technique: One-Soul Stone Ritual." Marith calmly said, than she leaned forward, and whispered, "Make a ring out of this and give it to her, will you."

Roy blushed, a rare occurance for him. Regaining his composture, he handed the stone over to Riza and started clapping.

"Very good, Marith Gloomwood. From this point on, you will be known as the 'Messorem Alchemist'. You will be also assigned to the Elrics." Roy said, pointing at Riza, "She'll give you everything you need, as well contacting one of them to pick you up."

"Yes, Sir." Riza saluted.

"Typical man." Marith thought to herself, but her face displayed her discomtept for men, which caused Tsukiko to be nervious.

They followed Riza to her office. She handed Marith her new pocketwatch and other stuff for her to remember. Riza than called a few numbers, before getting an answer. Marith fixed her glasses back onto her face. Before long, a blonde-haired woman arrived, and she had a monkey wrench in her pocket.

"Hi, Riza. I was just completing another repair to Ed's leg, again." the woman said, with a huff.

"Hey, Winry. These are your new residents. Marith Gloomwood, the Messorem Alchemist, and her apprentice, Tsukiko Shiginami. Also, their pet Sand-wolf, Suna." Riza pointed to each in turn.

"Glad to meet you." Winry said, with a small bow.

Tsukiko and Suna bowed, "And we are, as well, Miss."

Marith walked out of the room. Tsukiko looked nervious, bowed towards Winry, than followed Marith. When they were alone, Tsukiko looked at Marith.

"What's the matter, Marith?" Tsukiko asked.

"That woman had a terrible life. Her husband isn't much better." Marith trying to control her emotions, which she normally has masterful control over.

Tsukiko wrapped her arms around Marith. While they were doing that Riza was whispering everything that Marith had said or done, while she was there. After awhile, they were in Winry's truck, on their way to her place. As soon as they arrived, Marith walked into the house, and stepped on Edward, as he was trying to fix the kitchen faucet.

"Ow!" Edward yelled, than jumping onto his feet, "Watch where you are walking!"

"So, sorry, Shorty McPipsqueakbottom. I didn't realized that I'm suppose to look for a dwarf while I am staying here." Marith said, calmly.

The three short-related trigger words were more than enough for Edward, he erupted into a vocal rage.. Marith stood there, not saying another word. After some time, Ed calmed down, mostly. Winry made a very hearty meal, and as usual, Tsukiko, with Suna, prayed.

"She been doing this since I met her. Suna looks up to Tsukiko as her new mother. I could get away, since I am the 'Alpha', but don't start-" Marith explaining, than looked over at Ed.

Suna sensed that Ed was about to eat, and bit on his artifical leg.

"-Eating if you are not an Alpha. To Suna, I'm the Alpha. I could tell her to not do that, but that is to my disgretion." Marith finished her talking, "Suna, chair."

Suna released Edward and returned to her seat. Winry looked in awe, while Ed was complaining about the attack. Winry looked over at Marith with a baffled look.

"How can a pup be so obedient?" Winry asked.

"Suna no Kage is a Sand-Wolf. They are well known for obedience, but on the black market, for their aggression and their hide." Marith sighed, "I'm guessing that's what happened to her mother. Seeing that she was born in Xersese in Ishval."

Winry was beginning to tear up, but saw Marith quickly shook her head. Marith quickly finish her meal, than left the table. Tsukiko and Suna walked outside to watch the moon. Winry walked outside and joined them.

"Tsukiko, why did Marith behave the way that she did?" Winry asked.

"Well, just recentily she start showing more emotion, than before. She usually doesn't like spending too much time at any one location. At the most was two days and a single night, at any location, but never at a hotel. With our kind of Alchemy, I don't blame her. I know some of Marith's most guarded secrets, which I am willing to take to my grave." Tsukiko said, while looking at the moon, and stroking a sleeping Suna on her lap, "I won't tell you nor your mate any of her secrets, if with threat of death, unless she, herself, tells me otherwise."

"You sure are loyal to her, Tsukiko." Winry mentioned.

"That's because she saved my life, twice. Also, I begged for about a month before she relented. When I self-tattooed myself with the mark you see, I was marking myself to be willing to die, even if she orders me otherwise. She can be quite stubborn, but I won't back down from my vow that I had made on that night." Tsukiko smiled.

"Do you ever think about the future?" Winry asked.

Tsukiko looked over at Winry, "I try no to. When I was homeless, I was afraid of thinking about the future, due to the men.", than tears started to flow down her eyes, "Forgive me, Ma'am, but I don't want to talk about it."

WInry hugged her, "I understand, you poor thing. Did you ever told Marith?"

Tsukiko shooked her head, "I don't want her to hate me. She's the only family, besides Suna, I have left."

Suna woke up and was licking away at Tsukiko's tears. Tsukiko wiped away her tears, and patted Suna, "Thank you, Suna.."

"All of you will always have a place here, Tsukiko." Winry continuing to hug Tsukiko.

Pushing herself out of Winry's hug, "Thank you, Ma'am."

"Please stop with that. I'm Winry. Winry Rockbell Elric." Winry sighed.

"Sorry, Winry." Tsukiko giggled, than she looked up at the moon, "Guess it is time for bed. Come, Suna."

Suna woke up and followed Tsukiko up to the room that they shares with Marith. Ed and Winry soon retired to their own room as well.


	6. Chapter 6

Marith roused early as usual. But it was quite a bit after dawn. The curtains had blocked out the sunlight while the thick walls blocked out most of the noise. The house was mostly quiet but sounds could be heard from the kitchen. Marith left the room careful not to wake Tsukiko and Suna. But Suna woke anyway and stared curiously at Marith before curling back up to Tsukiko and sleeping again. Marith left her new state alchemist watch in her room. Not really wanting for people to think of her as a dog of the military. Marith found Winry in the kitchen cooking and was apparently the only one awake.

"Good morning, Marith! Did you sleep well?" Winry asked Marith cheerily.

"Fine." Marith replied as she sat down.

"So, you'll are from Xing, right?" Winry asked Marith.

"Right." Marith's reply was swift.

"That's neat. Ed's brother is actually in Xing right now. But he's coming home soon. Hopefully." Winry told her still in a cheery mood. "What about you? Where's your family?" Winry asked.

"I'm an only child and my parents were caught in an explosion." Marith told her. Winry, unsure of how to reply, was silent. Suna gave a light bark as she and Tsukiko entered the kitchen, cleaned up.

"Good morning, Winry, Marith." Tsukiko immediately greeted.

"Good morning, Tsukiko." Winry smiled. "Breakfast is ready. I'm gonna go get Ed, Homer, and Sara." Winry smiled making two small plates and two bigger plates for Tsukiko and Winry before getting some for Suna.

"Homer and Sara?" Tsukiko questioned.

"There our kids. Hohenhiem, Homer for short, is our four year old son. Sara is our year old daughter." Winry told them happily.

"Oh, the kids from last night!" Tsukiko realized. Winry nodded before leaving for the three. The three waited for the Elric's before praying and eating. Once breakfast was over Winry watched Homer and Sara, while Ed observed Marith and Tsukiko's lesson. As usual Tsukiko and Marith made a scythe and started sparring. Making extra sure that Den, Winry's dog, was not chasing after the wolf skulls and finger bones. Suna played with Den happily.

"You ready?" Marith asked Tsukiko as there short water break ended.

"Yeah!" Tsukiko told her energetically.

"Wait!" Ed stepped in upon realizing someone he had missed dearly.

"What?!" Marith asked irritated by the interruption.

"Winry! They're here!" Ed shouted as Winry stepped outside to greet the newcomers. A tall sandy blonde wearing a black shirt and a white button up over it was walking towards the house. A tall black haired woman was next to him. Her black hair was tied back in several braided hoops that then formed a bun. She also wore a reddish Xingese dress that had a white bordering. The woman waved to Winry not noticing Marith, Suna, and Tsukiko at first. But her attention quickly turned to them before she whispered something to the sandy blonde. Marith meanwhile knew that Ed, Winry, and now the sandy blonde had a bad life so far. Filled with much pain and sorrow but much hope now then five years ago. Both the sandy blonde and Ed had faced most types of Homunculus but were fortunately unaware of Marith being one. But Tsukiko was ready to lay down her life for Marith at any moment.

"Al! May!" Winry yelled and waved at them. Homer and Sara hid behind Winry as the two stopped in front of them hugging each other.

"It's great to see you Ed, Winry!" the sandy blonde smiled brimming with happiness.

"You too, Al!" Ed told him ignoring the black haired girl while Winry greeted her.

"Glad you could come to May!" Winry greeted.

"You too!" May smiled. "Good to see that shorty grew!" she teased Ed.

"You too, you beansprout!" Ed replied biting back the curses as Homer and Sara were present.

"Awww, who's this?" May smiled pointing to Homer and Sara.

"Al, May this is Hohenhiem Urey Elric. And this is Sara Trisha Elric." Winry introduced them.

"Hi there!" May smiled at them.

"There adorable Ed. How old are they?" Al asked Ed.

"Homer's four and Sara's a year old." Winry told them having a deja vu moment as she had explained this earlier that morning. May's gaze shifted to Marith and Tsukiko who were a bit irritated with the disturbance. Winry noticing that May was eyeing them began to introduce them.

"Al, May this is Marith, Tsukiko, and Suka No Kage. There staying with us for a while and Marith is also a new State Alchemist. You and Ed are going to be supervising Marith." Winry introduced them pointing at Al.

"The feeling is defiantly coming from Marith but Tsukiko and Suna are normal." May whispered into Al's ear who nodded. May and Al were uneasy around Marith. Ed pulled Al away from the group.

"Is something wrong, Al?" Ed immediately asked getting straight to the point.

"May says she's getting the same feeling she got from a humonculi." Al confided into Ed. Before Ed could ask who Al finished, "She's only sensing it from Marith though." That was a bit reassuring for Ed but they still had a homunculus under their roof and after thinking they had defeated them all and made the world safer for there loved ones was both unnerving and upsetting.

"Marith isn't all that bad but we should at least be careful, alright?" Ed assured his brother despite being nervous himself.

"Should we warn Winry and May?" Al asked him.

"Unless Marith does something, we should keep quiet and avoid raising a panic." Ed told him before the two nodded in agreement and left to supervise the two and while May and Winry watched the kids, at the grocery store.

Al observed both Tsukiko and Marith's circles. The first thing he noticed was how Marith circle was a circle with an upside down triangle and had a raven in the top left corner staring at a skull in the bottom corner while the plant Hemlock was in the top right corner. Al recognized the Hemlock for being a poisonous plant. Tsukiko's circle was also a circle with a upside down triangle. But the symbols were different. In the top left corner was a cobra bearing it's teeth. At the bottom corner was a hourglass out of sand. While the top left corner had a lily. But at the center was a Hindu symbol of long life. All of them in some way were related to death or rebirth.

The scythe itself had slightly surprised Al. And the way how it destroyed the bark of the surrounding trees and grass, told Al that if Marith was bad like the others, apart from Greed, then they might be in some serious trouble. The thought though got Al thinking. How many more were there? There wasn't any reason why Alchemy and Alkahestry should only exist in Amestris and Xing. Maybe somewhere far away there knowledge of it was much greater then what Amestris knew. They might know how to create a homunculus or do alchemy without a stone and equivalent exchange.

The skull of Tsukiko's scythe landing near Al brought him out of his thoughts.

"Rrrgh, be careful!" Ed yelled at her.

"It was an accident." Marith informed him coldly, remembering how she had accidentally discovered her secret.

"Sorry, Marith." Tsukiko lowered her head.

"It's fine, Tsukiko." Marith looking back at her apprentice, "Head up, and avoid hitting innocents, alright?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Tsukiko rebounded with renewed energy.

As they continued to spar, the Elric brothers noticed Tsukiko's tattoo and the sign on her back. Al, with thanks to May, knows how to read Xingese. The tattoo has the Xingese word for 'Blood', and the symbol on Tsukiko's outfit was the Xingese word for 'Death'.

Soon, the ladies returned from shopping, with the kids. As they were putting the food away, Marith put the bottom of her weapon into the ground.

"Tsukiko, let's end it for now." Marith looked, with one eye over at the brothers, "You go wash up and help the ladies. I must have a word with my supervisiors."

"Yes, Marith." Tsukiko clapped her hands, to dissengrate her weapon, "Suna, Come and Heel!"

Suna came running up to Tsukiko and followed her inside. Marith clapped her hands and her scythe imitated Tsukiko's. As soon as that was over, she motioned the brothers over to her. They got up and followed her, away from the house, and slightly into the nearby woods.

"Your Xingese girlfriends loathes me, doesn't she, Armor?" Marith growled.

"You noticed?" Al replied.

"Of course, I noticed." Marith sighed, "I may hate men, but from looking at your eyes, espically your pasts, I could trust you with a few secrets I have."

"What's secrets?" Ed asked, trying to remain civil.

"Well, it is public knowledge that my father is Dr. Franklin E. Gloomwood, the Reanimation Alchemist, but many don't know how he became known by that name. Well, he brought back a dead soldier by a philospher stone. Than he sunked an entire Xingese island, with a population of three-quarters of a million lives. Many years later, he used his XIngese slave-girl, Lan Wu, whom was about May's age at the time. She soon had a daughter, named Marith. She was so loyal and obedient, that when the child was about a year old, she never stopped him from killing the child." Marith sighed, and tears start to flow, "He placed that stone within the child, and ordered his slave -girl to raise her. Lan Wu obeyed without question. Thus my first secret, I'm a Homonculi. I have the speed of Wrath. Lethal capacity of Lust. And to top the triple curse, the stealthibility of Pride."

The brothers were shocked beyond words, but before they could do anything, Marith continued to talk.

"My next two are interwoven with that one. I know how to create a Philopher's stone from a single soul, because I was trained, at the human age of six, of how to kill a man." Marith dropping down to her knees, crying far more, "His final act, before leaving this realm, was to create his last Philosper's stone.", Than Marith pulls out the jar from her pocket, "This stones has every man, woman, child, pet, livestock, and plant of Kom Koy, my hometown in between Ishval and Xing. My mother died before it happened, by father's command. Instead of turning her into a stone, I absorbed her into the stone within me. It was because of that one soul, the soul of the mother who gave me life, originally, I was able to break the bonds of my creation. I caused the Circle to mishapped into the imperfect stone you see before you"

Edward picked up the stone's bottle, while Alphonse draped his jacket over she tightened her grip on the jacket, she finish up her story.

"I went to Xing and meet up with Tsukiko. And everything after that was practically history."Marith wiping her eyes and nose, "Thank you."

"No problem. Let's head on back home." Al smiled.

"Lets." Marith slightly smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

Tsukiko and the other two ladies were talking and laughing when, the three alchemists came in. Tsukiko looked over at the trio, and saw Marith's face, which had the tell-tale sign of crying. Tsukiko looked away and made a loud growl, which everybody heard.

"Suna! Kei o nerae!" Tsukiko yelled, and Suna obeyed.

Suna ran than climbed up onto the wall, aiming for Edward's neck. Tsukiko jumped up and transmute a broom into a scythe, while running at Alphonse. Before any of the alchemists, nor the ladies or their pets could react, both attackers were in bony cages. Marith never made a move nor clap her hands together.

"Tsukiko! Suna no Kage! HEEL!" Marith commanded and the cages disappered.

They crawled in front of Marith and bowed, Xingese-style, "Mōshiwakearimasenga, Marith. Wareware wa futatabi sore o okonau koto wa arimasen. Tōsha wa, tōsha no gyōmu o, ikanotōrideatta."

"I was crying, Tsukiko, for your information, because I told them the truth, since that Xingese Princess over there sensed it." Marith sighed, "I apprecitate the fact that you were willing to protect me, Tsukiko, but you should worry about yourself more."

Tsukiko looked up, with a shocked face, "Shikashi, dono yō na anata no ishi wa dōdeshou ka? Sore ga nakereba, , Marith o shindeshimau."

"Yeah, I may die, but I was dead since I was one year old." Marith sighed, and a tear came rolling off of her right cheek.

May was ready to throw her kunais, but Alphonse moved in the way, while Edward calmed down Winry and the kids. After awhile, they all sat down at the table and ate. May might not like sharing food with a homonculus, but she has to trust Al with this.

There was a phone ring and Winry answered the phone, "Hello?". After a short while, "Ed, it's Roy."

Ed sighed and walked over to Winry, "Don't worry, I won't lose it."

While Ed was on the phone, he looked like he wanted to say a few adult words, but with his children nearby, he bit his lip, literally. As soon as he hunged up the phone, his lip was bleeding.

"We have a job in Drachma. The Major wants us to be Envoys to Drachma." Edward grunted.

"Ed, your lip is bleeding, again." Winry sighed.

Winry took to her husband's injury. May and Al walked outside, and kissed. Marith turned away from the couples, and returned to her room. Tsukiko and Suna also returned to their room, where they saw Marith looking up at the moon, and had a tear rolling down her cheek.

"What's the matter, Marith?" Tsukiko asked, while Suna leaned against Marith's leg, whimpering.

"Nothing." Marith lied.

"Marith, I know when you are lying. We been together long enough to know that much. Please, don't lie to me. What's wrong?" Tsukiko pleaded.

Marith sighed, "I could never have a normal family. You and Suna will have families and settle down long before I will even begin to age past this appearance, which I had known for a long time."

Tsukiko wrapped her arms around Marith, to comfort her. Another secret of Marith that Tsukiko had learned; Homonculi are practically immortal. Tsukiko geniually felt sorry for her friend, and only family that she has. Before long, everybody went to bed. Only Marith and Tsukiko were still awake.

"Marith, Where is Drachma?" Tsukiko asked.

"It is in the far north. They are Amestris's northern neighbor, as well as being Xing's northwestern one." Marith explained.

"What's the weather like?" Tsukiko asked.

"Winter for about ten months out of the year and spring for the remaining two." Marith replied.

Tsukiko whimpered, "Why the cold? I hate the cold."

"Just get some sleep. I bet that we'll stop early to buy winter clothes." Marith mumbled as she tried to get some sleep herself.

"Yes, Marith." Tsukiko yawned.

While they slept, Tsukiko dreamt of her and Suna growing older, while Marith staying young. The fear of leaving Marith alone caused her to be scared and waking up, crying. Marith and Suna were the first at her side.

"Tsukiko!" Marith screamed.

The others came running in, and they saw Marith wrapping her cloak around Tsukiko's back. Winry and May sat along side Tsukiko, as Marith went outside. Al and Ed followed her out.

"I should never had trained her in Death Alchemy." Marith whispered.

"Are you sure that's what she was crying about?" Al asked.

"What other reason for her to be crying like that?" Marith asked back.

Meanwhile, the three ladies were in Tsukiko's and Marith's bedroom. Winry left to check up on her children, leaving the two Xingese women by themselves.

"Is everything alright, Tsukiko?" May asked.

"I'm afraid of growing old and leaving Marith alone with no family nor friends around to comfort her." Tsukiko whimpered, "She lost her parents. She's just an only child, and now she won't age beyond that for the rest of her life. Why can't she turn me and Suna into what she is, so we can keep her company!"

Winry returned after making sure that the children were still asleep. May left to join the others outside. Marith was deciding about leaving Tsukiko and Suna at the Elrics, for good, and go solo.

"If you are planning on leaving, than you will make Tsukiko's fear even worst. She cried because she's afraid of abandoning you when old age comes to claim her. She went as far as begging to become a Homonculus, as well making Suna into one as well." May crossed her arms, a habit she picked up from Al, "I strongly refuse to allow another human to become a monster. If you do, Marith, I won't hestitate to kill all three of you."

Marith looked at May, whom was show a very serious face. A normal person would laugh at May, but Marith wasn't a normal person. She might tower, by about a couple feet, but this short Xingese girl slightly scares her, which never happened before.

Tsukiko soon fell back asleep, with Marith's cloak wrapped around her. Marith was sitting on her own bed, looking up at the moon, as it was slowly decdending into the horizon. Before long, it was time to depart for Drachma. Al, Ed, Tsukiko, and Suna were heavily bundled up in layers of clothing. Marith wasn't, she was was wearing her normal wear.

"Aren't you cold?" Ed asked Marith.

"You be surprised of what I don't feel." Marith explained.

"Care to explain?" Ed asked.

"I rather not." Marith stated, making sure that her point was made.

They continued as far north as they could go, before traveling on foot towards Fort Briggs. As soon as they arrived, they walked up to Olivier's Office.

A Brigg Soldier banged on the door, "Major General, The Elrics are here."

"Let them in." Armstrong's voice commanded.

"You hear her, Elrics. Go right on in." the soldier said.

They entered and there was a Dracman man sitting with Major General Armstrong. As soon as Tsukiko laid eyes upon him, she started to shake violentily.

"N-no! It can't be! Not him!" Tsukiko nearly screamed, and begin to back away.

"Who is that?" Marith asked, while Suna growled, ready to protect her new mother.

"He's the one whom Mom used to serve. It's M!" Tsukiko screamed.

The man, upon hearing this, turned around, and smiled, "Hello, Tsukiko. It's been awhile."


	8. Chapter 8

Tsukiko was still shaking violently even after leaving the room with Marith and Suna. Marith, upon seeing Tsukiko's reaction, had decided not to trust the man. If there ever was a man she trusted.

"Tsukiko, I need you to calm down and explain to me what's wrong." Marith told her trying to make better sense of the connection between them.

"Mom, used to serve him. Everyone on my mom's side of the family did." Tsukiko began to explain, all while shaking. "I did to, but I ran away. That's why those thug's were after me when we first met." Tsukiko continued.

"It's alright. Your not going back." Ed assured her upon hearing the conversation. Marith narrowed her eye's at him for listening in but was glad that it helped calm Tsukiko down. Suna licked Tsukiko's face trying to cheer her up as well. "So how exactly did you two meet?" Ed asked. This time Marith glared at him saying that now was not a good time.

"Why don't you go rest for a bit Tsukiko. We've been walking all day. I'll deal with M." Marith assured her before having Ed take her to her room as Marith was unaware of where anything was. Marith reentered the room where M and Oliver were in. Most of it had been about a peace treaty between Amestris and Drachma. Marith, Ed, and Al were quiet unless asked a question.

Once the little meeting was over and the peace treaty unfortunately still unsigned, Marith left to check on Tsukiko. Tsukiko was awake and sitting on the bed with Suna whimpering at her new mother's state. When Marith walked in Suna stared at her before licking Tsukiko to alert her that Marith was there.

"How are you feeling?" Marith asked unsure.

"A bit better. I'm scared he'll want me back but I don't want to go back." Tsukiko confessed lightly crying at the thought of going back. Suna whimpered again before licking her face.

"I'm planning on talking to him about that. So you don't need to worry about going back." Marith assured Tsukiko sitting on the foot of the bed. Seeing Tsukiko cheer up a bit Suna was overcome with energy.

"Suna. Calm down." Tsukiko laughed petting the puppy gently. Marith pet the puppy as well, only increasing Suna's ego.

"If you don't mind me asking what were your parents like?" Marith asked. Tsukiko thought about it for a moment.

"My mom I know was really sweet and loved me a lot. But she was kidnapped. M looked for her for a long time. I'm not sure if he found her or not but we both know she died of sickness." Tsukiko continued remembering a similar talk when they had first met. "My mom had fourteen siblings. She was the tenth eldest. I know that the eldest I think was bought or adopted from M. As for my dad, I'm not sure. I can't remember him well." Tsukiko explained to Marith. A light knock on the door interrupted there conversation. Maith answered it and found Ed.

"You know there's a dining room, right?" Ed asked getting straight to the point.

"Yes because it's our first time here." Marith said sarcastically.

"When my brother and I first came here we got a small tour so we didn't know if you knew where it was or not." Ed defended himself. Before Marith could reply Tsukiko's stomach broke it up, growling loudly as she hadn't eaten since she left and that seemed like a far away memory to her and especially Ed as he usually ate a lot. Marith grumbled before sighing.

"Let's go." Marith gave a faint smile before Suna wimpered convinced she wouldn't get to eat.

"Don't worry girl. Your coming to." Tsukiko told Suna picking her up, than Tsukiko asked, "Are you coming to Marith?"

"Yes." Marith told her before the three followed Ed through the maze of halls and to the dining room. When the four final sat down joining up with Al they chatted while the they ate. Though Marith was rather quiet during the conversation.

"I believe I asked a question earlier and I got no answer." Ed suddenly brought up eyeing Marith and Tsukiko. "How did you two meet?" Ed asked his question again. Tsukiko looked to Marith waiting for an okay. Marith gave a nod.

"It was a little over a month and a half ago. We were both in Xing." Tsukiko started as Ed nearly chocked on his drink.

"You'll were in Xing that recently?" Al asked while Ed caught his breath.

"No because Tsukiko is a Xingese woman." Marith's sarcasm strikes again.

"Yeah. I was being attacked by some local thugs and Marith stepped in." Tsukiko continued with her story but let Marith take the lead as the part after that she was unconscious.

"I killed the thugs and hid Tsukiko as she had blacked out half way through it. Tsukiko decided to accompany me and shortly after a bandit attack asked if I would teach her my alchemy." Marith picked the story up to where Tsukiko remembered.

"It took a while of begging but Marith eventually decided to teach me. So that's how we met." Tsukiko finished as Suna let out a loud bark.

"What about Suna?" Al asked.

"I found her while we were crossing the desert. Her mom wasn't anywhere to be seen and with Sand Wolves being prized Marith knew that..." Tsukiko trailed off. "So we decided to bring her with us. But that's because Marith was kind enough to let her tag along." Tsukiko said making Marith lightly blush in embarrassment.

"I knew Tsukiko wouldn't allow it." Marith defended herself as Suna barked and wagged her tail.

"Maybe." Tsukiko told her. The four finished their meal right before the dining room closed and left for their rooms with the exception of Suna who followed Tsukiko.


	9. Chapter 9

Marith slumbered, but kept a tight sensory alert for anything wrong from Tsukiko's room. During the night, around Midnight or two in the morning, Tsukiko's behavior caused Marith to jump out of bed and badly damage her door, from her scythe. As soon as Marith entered Tsukiko's room, Suna was whimpering and Tsukiko was trying to push away an imaginary attacker.

"No! Get away! I'm not going back to serve you!" Tsukiko grumbled.

Marith placed the scythe onto one of the walls, and attept to wake her up.

"Tsukiko, wake up. You're waking up the base." Marith shooked Tsukiko, but she was still in her nightmare.

"Is she alright?" Ed sounded concerned.

As much as Marith wanted to glare at him, she knew now wasn't the time to. Marith was beginning to look shaken, which was unnatural for her to do, especially in front of people.

"Truthfully, I don't know. Her fear was, and still is, at a fever pitch. I'm going to try something, but I'm going to protect my body." Marith shaken a bit.

She drew her Alchemical circle upon the floor, than sat in the center of it. She touched it and it created the familar bone-and-ligiment dome. She soon closed her eyes and found herself inside Tsukiko's mind. It was more than a dream, it was a memory.

She saw a younger Tsukiko wearing an unusual uniform, that she never saw before. Tsukiko was crawling, backwards away from a tall heavily-fur-covered man. At a closer look, it was a younger M.

"No. Please, M!" Tsukiko screamed.

"You are a my property, a dog. Nothing more, nothing less." M said.

As he approached Tsukiko, Marith's reactive insticts kicked in, but someone stopped her. She looked around and saw her mother, Lan Wu.

"You can't help her in here, Marith. She is my niece, and it pains me to be as powerless as you." Lan Wu looked sadden.

"Your niece?" Marith asked.

"Yes. I am number B-One. Her mother was known as, by M, as B-Ten. I was happy that She was able to escape, but was sadden when she was homeless because of this." Lan Wu said, "Unless you want to be scarred for life, look away."

Despite wanting to look, she closes her eyes. As she was listening, tears flowed. When she looked again, M was standing over Tsukiko, with a Bullwhip. There were lashing marks all over her back. Marith was so angered by this sight, that Alphonse, whom ws learning how to sense things from May, but nowhere near as good as she, was sensing the raw untapped power from within her.

"Um, Brother." Alphonse whispered in Ed's ear.

"Yeah, Al?" Ed whispered back.

"If she breaks open that cocoon of hers, right now, we are going to be dead before we can even react." Al whispered back, "That's how angry she is."

"Crap. We wasn't prepared for this." Ed gritted his teeth, than he looked over at Armstrong, "I highly recommand clearing, at least this area of all personalle. If she breaks through that cocoon of hers, right now, we will be dead before we can even blink."

"If she does any damages, I will hold you two responsible as she is under you care." Armstrong lifts her chin and walked away, giving commands to every soldier nearby.

"Fuck me. It this was the stupid Major's idea of a joke, pairing us up with them, it isn't remotely funny." Ed thought to himself as he resumed looking at the cocoon.

Meanwhile, Tsukiko released herself from her mother's grasp and ran over to Tsukiko. She had tears in her eyes, than when she looks up at M, she was giving him her most angriest death glares she ever given a man.

"I fucking swear, M! I am going to make you pay for that!" Marith growled.

Upon her forehead, her father's creation mark appeared. The circle was the Oroboros Mark, with the five star pentagram, but it was inverted. At each of the five points were Alchemical signs for the five elements; Earth, Fire, Water, Air, and Spirit. Within the center was the Alchemical symbol for Death.

Than M left and Tsukiko pushed herself onto her knees, crying. Tsukiko's crying made Marith more angry, and thus amplifing her powers. Her powers was making Fort Biggs beginning to creak as if it was shaking through a nine-point-five earthquake.

Armstrong strumbling as she was trying to run to the Brothers, "What the fucking hell is going on here!"

"Something she is seeing has to be angering her very badly." Alphonse said, as he was trying to get back onto his feet.

Meanwhile, Marith saw Tsukiko grabbing a knife, wanting to herself. Than, someone came through the window and took her away. The memory soon change to the following day, where Tsukiko was wearing the exact outfit that Marith found her wearing.

"W-who are you?" Tsukiko asked.

"Name's Lan Fan. You'll be safe in Xing, Ma'am." Lan fan said, before disappearing.

"Lan Fan." Tsukiko stood there, "Lan-Onee-Chan"

Than Marith returns to her body, and break the cocoon, revealing a bony-white armored body, identical to armored Greed. But this version, she has bony-plated Angellic-like wings and stands of sinew for hair. Her nails are as long and sharp as Lust's spear. She turned towards the brothers, and before they could do anything, she appeared behind them.

"Protect Tsukiko and Suna for me." Marith said, before she disappears again.

M was trying to escape, fearful for his own life. He only made about a quarter-mile out of Briggs, when Marith caught up with him. She used her wings to immoblize him into the sky.

"M, you have a lot to pay for. I am not going to absorb your blood nor turn it into a Philospher stone. I AM GOING TO ANNILATE YOUR ENTIRE BEING, INCLUDING YOUR SOUL FROM EVER EXISTING!" Marith yelled, and the spears grew brighter. Brighter the spears got, louder M's scream became. Than, he exploded into a very fine mist. Marith didn't stop her spears for another five minutes, until she was sure he was no more. Upon which she reverted back to her normal human form and passed out. 


	10. Chapter 10

A few of the more strong-willed Briggs soldiers walked out and retrieved Marith. They brought her to her room, just as Tsukiko was beginning to wake up. She looked around, and quickly pulled the bed covers, like a scared child. Than she looked on the ground, and saw Marith's circle and Marith's scythe leaned against the wall.

"Marith? Where's Marith?" Tsukiko panicked.

"It's alright, Tsukiko. She's passed out, laying in her bed. She's going to be fine." Alphonse said, while Ed left the room to keep an eye on Marith.

"What happened?" Tsukiko asked.

"Well, you were having a nightmare, sensing fear, she came in. While trying to wake you up, the rest of the base was woken up. After that, Marith used some kind of ability or power to enter your nightmare. Whatever she was seeing, infurated her so much that I sensed her homonculi power. It was so strong, the whole base was shaking. As soon as she broke her cocoon, she was faster than we could even blink. She only killed, or I should said, annilated, only one person, the Drachman representative, M." Alphonse smiled.

"So, he's no more?"Tsukiko asked, puzzled.

"That's correct. According to her, even his soul is no more." Al sighed.

Tsukiko smiled, "I'm glad. I don't have to worry about him ever again."

Meanwhile, Marith was beginning to wake. As soon as she saw Ed, she wanted to say something at him, but she couldn't even lift her head. Ed knew she was trying to say something, more than likely a nasty remark about him. He walked over and sat down in a chair.

"Tsukiko's fine. She just woken up with no noticible side-effects of that power you used." Ed said, "I recommand just lay there, get some sleep and get your energy back up to par."

Marith sighs, "Can you believe that was the first time I actually unleashed my full anger out?"

"Actually, I can and do believe you, Marith." Edward sighed.

"So, what now? I just erased from existance the only Dracman representive." Marith sounded sad and worried.

"Well, we send the document back, saying that he was attacked by an assassin, and hopefully they are willing to redo this whole thing. For us, we head for home, get a yelling from the Major and other stuff." Ed closed his eyes and sighed again.

"If you are going to sleep, THAN GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Marith yelled, than a major pain from her head, "Aah! Headache."

"Try avoid yelling next time." Ed said, just as Tsukiko came rushing in, pushing him out of her way, "Gah!"

"Marith!" Tsukiko yelled, with tears in her eyes, and Suna was carefully climbing on Marith, whimpering,

Marith placed one hand on each of them, "There's no reason to yell, Tsukiko, I'm not dying."

"Marith, why did you risked everything, just to destroy M?" Tsukiko tearfully said.

"Seeing you in so much pain caused me to lose control all control." Marith sighs.

Tsukiko hugged Marith, a bit too tightly, but Marith understood why. Tsukiko and Suna remained by Marith's side, even fallen asleep on the floor, while holding Marith's scythe. The following morning, they went to the train station and returned back to Central. As soon as they arrived, they went to the Furhur's office. Marith knows she is going to be blamed for the whole mess.


	11. Chapter 11

"If you kill someone else your GOING to end up in prison!" Roy yelled at Marith. "You will be fortunate if they decide to still sign the peace treaty!" Roy raged at her. Marith sat in her seat in the Fuher's office. Tsukiko and Suna were next to her. They had returned no less than thirty minutes ago. Though it had felt like they'd been listening to him for hours. Seeing that he wasn't completely getting through Roy calmed down. "I want you to return to the Elric's house. Your dismissed." He ordered as the three got up and walked away.

"Marith." Tsukiko said making Suna and Marith look towards her as they sat down on the train.

"Yes?" Marith asked swiftly.

"...I'm sorry I got you in so much trouble." Tsukiko sighed sadly.

"Tsukiko, you didn't get me in trouble. I did. But Tsukiko, while I was in your nightmare my mother was there. You were my mother's niece. She was B-One and her sister was B-Ten, your mother." Marith admitted with mixed feelings. Tsukiko took a minute to take in the information.

"But then how did you end up in the desert?!" Tsukiko asked.

"My father bought my mom from M." Marith explained.

"Oh." Tsukiko looked down. The rest of the way home was silent. Upon arriving though Winry greeted them with open arms as well as Homer and Sara. "Hi Sarah." Tsukiko smiled bending down to the young girl with a smile.

"Glad to have you two back." Winry smiled happily.

"Good to be back." Tsukiko said as Marith nodded in agreement. The two sat down and let Suna play with Den. Alphonse and May were out on a walk together while Ed was fixing the bathroom sink.

"When the Ed's done and Al's back, were going to do a training session." Marith informed Tsukiko. Tsukiko gave a nod as they headed inside. Al and May returned shortly after Ed finished the sink. Marith formed her own scythe as well as Tsukiko before attacking each other. Both careful not to hurt the other.

"Tsukiko is getting better, huh?" Al asked Ed.

"Yeah. I wonder how Tsukiko will finish her training." Ed thought aloud.

"What do you mean?" Al asked him curiously.

"I mean, is there anything else Marith hasn't taught her or is she still far from over?" Ed elaborated.

"I think there's a lot Marith could tech her. Or anyone for that matter. But I don't think she'll teach everything she knows to Tsukiko." Al smiled softly.

"So how are things between you and May?" Ed asked teasingly as Al lightly blushed.

"There fine. But that reminds me I think Ling said he was going to visit soon if he got the chance." Al remembered as Ed groaned in annoyance.

"Great!" Ed said sourly. "He's gonna eat all the food again!" Ed looked up to the colorful sky. The sun was setting so Ed knew that Marith and Tsukiko were gonna call it a day soon. "I wonder what Marith's next mission is going to be." Ed thought aloud once more.

"Alright, Tsukiko that's enough for today." Marith announced clapping her hands and turning her scythe back into the earth. Tsukiko did the same before letting Den and Suna out of the house as they barked at the door. The two ran outside and Den greeted Ed and Al while Suna greeted Marith and Tsukiko. Tsukiko pet her gently before walking inside with Marith. Winry was in the kitchen cooking.

"Hmm? Oh Tsukiko, Marith! Can you help me out for a few minutes?" Winry asked Tsukiko and Marith as they walked inside.

"Sure!" Tsukiko agreed politely.

"Great! Then go on ahead and peel some potato's Tsukiko and Marith get out the onion's." Winry told her as Tsukiko washed her hands before taking a knife and started peeling potato's. Marith also washed her hands and looked through the pantry to find a some onion's. May was playing with Homer and Sarah happily. Ed quickly joined her. Al meanwhile played with Den and Suna. Soon after Winry was making bowls for everyone. "Alright, get some cups out and I'll make bowls." Winry volunteered. Tsukiko and Marith nodded. "Dinner's ready!" Winry called out once the table was set.

"YAY!" Homer and Sarah cheered happily rushing to the table. Ed, Al, and May quickly joined them at the table. As usual Tsukiko and Suna prayed before everyone started eating the soup the three girls had made.

"It's yummy!" Homer commented happily. Ed, Al, and May nodded in agreement with the young child.

"Good!" Winry smiled. "So how did the training session go?" Winry asked Ed, Al, Marith, and Tsukiko.

"It went well. Tsukiko is getting much better." Marith told her as Tsukiko lightly blushed in embarrassment.

"But I'm still far from perfect." Tsukiko was quick to mention.

"No-one's perfect." Marith said.

"I'm far from your level though!" Tsukiko tried defending, but Marith shook her head.

"You haven't been learning as long as I have been though." Marith shot back as Tsukiko gave a light sigh giving up.

"That's good to hear though." Winry interrupted.

"Yeah." Ed said softly.

"So how are things in Xing?" Winry asked Al and May.

"Thing's are fine. Speaking of which Ling said he should be visiting in about three days from now." May told Winry. Winry looked shocked. "Sorry, we forgot to mention it sooner." May apologized.

"It's alright, but I'm going to be leaving for Rush Valley over the next couple days or so. Garfiel is getting overwhelmed and asked if I could come help. I meant to mention it the other night, but you'll got the mission." Winry told them.

"You could've mentioned it to me sooner!" Ed exclaimed.

"I though it would be better to mention it over dinner since everyone would be there." Winry told him. Ed gave a sigh not wanting to face her wrench and let it go. After everyone finished dinner Winry, Marith, and Tsukiko cleaned up. Winry washed the dishes. Tsukiko gathered and put away the dishes. While Marith dried them.


	12. Chapter 12

Over the three days, Winry was teaching Marith and Tsukiko how to cook. Marith's was always burnt. She even set plain, normal water ablaze, somehow. Tsukiko was better. Her cooking was edible, but slightly on the cold side, so May had to help on occation. Before they knew it, Winry left for Rush Valley to help out. Homer and Sarah cried, but May comforted them. The following day, Marith was awoken by Ed's yelling.

"HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE!" Ed yelled.

Marith looked, and saw Tsukiko was gone, but Suka was sleeping nearby Marith's feet. As soon as Marith sat up, Suka woke up and sat beside her. After dressing, they left and saw Tsukiko and May cooking, with two other Xingese people in the kitchen. One, she recongized from the posters as Ling, Emperor of Xing, but the lady with the Auto-mail arm, she didn't recognized.

Both Ling and the mysterious lady stared at Marith, with expressionless wonder. Marith recognized the look as the same one that May gave her when they first lay eyes on each other.

"I am exactly what you think I am, Ling Yao, Emperor of XIng." Marith said, that looked at the woman, and stared, "As well as you, Lon Fon."

Marith calmly sat down at the table, wordlessly ate her breakfast, then went outside to do some training. Ling and Lon Fon was watching her, with Ed.

"Is she your apprentice, Ed?" Ling asked.

"No. The stupid major Mustang, or I should say Furhur Mustang dumped her and her apprentice and pup onto my lap, and she has been nothing but trouble." Ed sighed.

"Is she really a Humonculi?" Ling asked.

"Yes, but she never truly revealed her Humonculi abilities unless she is very angry, and that is only when anyone comes to harm Tsukiko, her apprentice. Turns out, they are, in a way, cousins." Ed sighed again.

"If anyone attacks her, she won't use it?" Ling asked.

"She might, but not as intense as she would've." Ed watches Marith.

Ling thought, "Hmm, interesting. A homonculus whom has the power to kill humans, but uses it to help humans. Even going as far as to train a human in her alchemy. Very interesting."

Soon Tsukiko came out and they start practicing together. May, while doing the dishes, was watching as well. After awhile, they stopped fighting. They sat down on the ground.

"Tsukiko, what's the purpose of Death Alchemy?" Marith asked.

"To...strike down the wicked." Tsukiko replied, with Suna joining them.

"That is correct. How do you find a Wicked person?"

Tsukiko thought for a bit, "By their actions?"

"Mostly, yes, but if trained well enough, you can see their whole life, just by their eyes." Marith corrected her apprentice.

"How?" Tsukiko asked.

"It takes about five years to develop, if you are good at it. It took me five years." Marith sighs, "There isn't a single path to learn how."

Tsukiko looked a bit depressed. Marith sighs again before resuming her questions.

"How many Death Alchemists are allowed at any one time?"

Their audience, as well as May and Al from inside the house, was listening intensely. After some time, Tsukiko answered, with pride in her voice.

"Only two are allowed, A Master and the master's apprentice!"

"Correct, and why that is?" Marith smiled.

"To prevent the slaughter of a civilation or slaying of innocents." Tsukiko sighed.

"Once again, correct. Now than, How does one become a Master of Death Alchemy?"

Tsukiko thought hard and long, "I don't know, Marith."

"There is only one way, the Apprentice MUST kill the current Master."

Tsukiko was in shock, "But Marith! You're my Master! Not only that, but you're my cousin, and a Homonculi! There's no way I can defeat, let alone kill you!"

Marith points over at their audience, "They defeated seven-plus of them, easily. Their Fuhrur even, single-handily destroy the Homonculi known as Lust. If they could do it, than why not you?"

At this, Tsukiko had no answer, just a depression regret. She knew about the Elrics' exploits. She didn't had those types of desires or commitment towards that type of goal compared to them. She won't be able to defeat Marith without either one of those things. Soon, Marith was tapping on her shoulder.

"Come on, we need to help with the supper." Marith smiled.

"Okay." Tsukiko stood up and brushed herself off.

They walked inside and start working on the supper. It tooks some time before it was done. As soon as they are done, their guests and the two children had first dibbs and it was all gone. The other five had to use the second batch that Marith and Tsukiko had made, just in case. Tsukiko, while not showing it, was quite concerned that she has to strike down her own relative just to become the next Master of the Death Alchemy. Marith, when she took a quick glance at Tsukiko's eyes, realized that, when the time come, Tsukiko won't be able to carry out the desired requirement.


	13. Chapter 13

Marith and Tsukiko practiced their alchemy on routine as usual. Al and Ling watched the two practicing. Ed was preoccupied with Homer and Sarah and left Al in charge. May and Lon Fon had left to get some milk despite Ed's protests. Although Ed suspected they were getting some other things they supposedly "needed".

"So how long has Marith been teaching Tsukiko?" Ling asked. Al wondered briefly how Ling could even see the two training when his eyes were always shut.

"I don't know. Marith had already been teaching Tsukiko when the Fuhrer put her here with Ed." Al gave a shrug watching as the master and apprentice practiced there skill's without hurting each other. "I know that they're from Xing though and they're cousins but it feels like we don't know all that much." Al admitted.

"I wonder if there is anyone out there who would ever understand a Homunculus." Ling gave a sigh.

"But your a Homunculus..." Al pointed out with a frown. Ling ignored Al's comment though and thought about something. As Marith and Tsukiko's training session came to an end, May and Lon Fon came back carrying some milk making Ed truly wonder what they had been doing. May and Lon Fon continued to teach Marith and Tsukiko cooking while Winry was away. Lon Fon had little to say over the dinner table much like Ling except Ling was eating everything in sight.

"It's lonely without Winry here. She knew how to keep Ling from eating everything." Ed complained as Ling a lightbulb went off in Ling's head.

"Why don't we go visit her then? Besides, I thought Lon Fon needed her auto-mail checked out soon anyway?" Ling suggested.

"I don't want a wrench shaped scar on my face." Ed turned down Ling's idea without a second thought.

"Why don't we Ed? Besides I don't think Ling is going to make it very far before he passes out from hunger again." Al supported Ling's idea remembering how they had first met Ling.

"Are we gonna see Mom and Uncle Garfiel Dad?" Homer asked with wide innocent eyes. Ed stared at Homer and was quick to notice Sara was staring to. Ed stared at the two young children before glaring at Ling and Al.

"Fine we can go." Ed caved in.

"Alright! Then let's head out!" Ling cheered taking his plate with him.

"We leave tomorrow!" Ed yelled at Ling quickly earning a glare from Lon Fon.

"Fine." Ling agreed hesitantly. "... So where will Lon Fon and I sleep?" Ling asked curiously trying to push Ed's buttons.

"On the couch." Ed growled annoyed while eating his food. Ling opened his mouth to protest (and eat) but quickly shut up after Ed glared daggers at him. The night passed without many things notable except for Lon Fon's protests of Ling sleeping on the couch. When morning finally arrived Ed walked into the kitchen to see May making breakfast. Marith and Tsukiko were in front of the house doing their training early so that it would be out of the way.

"Good morning!" May smiled with a chipper tone. Ed stared at May for a good few minutes thinking something was off until he finally noticed it.

"When did the cat get here?!" Ed exclaimed pointing at the tiny cat like panda.

"Xiao-Mei is a panda!" May yelled at Ed angrily.

"Looks like a cat, acts like a cat, thus it is a cat." Ed rolled his eyes turning to leave as Den whined at the door. Walking over to let Den out he quickly pulled Den back inside seeing as Marith and Tsukiko were training.

"Xiao-Mei is a panda!" May repeated hitting Ed angrily before storming over to the door. "Breakfast is ready!" May yelled out to Tsukiko and Marith. The two gave a brief nod and quickly wrapped up their session. Ed and Al packed some clothes for Homer and Sara knowing that more then one outfit would get dirty. Ling, May, Lon Fon, Tsukiko, Marith, Ed, Al, Homer, Sara, and Suna were quickly on there way to Rush Valley leaving Den with one of Ed and Winry's friends.

"You do know that were going to have to pay for a inn room, right?" Ed asked the huge group.

"Yup!" Ling smiled.

"I'm not paying for room service either." Ed added quickly.

"I know!" Ling continued to smile leading Ed to believe that he was going to be dumped with the bills anyway. The train to Rush Valley took a bit longer than Homer and Sara would've liked. Marith and Tsukiko stepped off the train when it had stopped. It was warm in Rush Valley. Everyone was quick to follow. The group made their way through the crowded streets to a inn before visiting Winry. Ed left Homer and Sara's clothes in there own room before they left to find Winry and Garfiel. Lon Fon and Ling were the first to find Winry.

"What are you doing here?" Winry asked the moment the two approached her.

"I was visiting but you left before I could say hello." Ling told her care free.

"Uhuh. Is Ed here?" Winry pressed with a eye brow raised.

"Everyone came!" Ling cheered with a smile. Less then a half second passed and Ling was in the ground with a wrench sticking out of his forehead. Normally he would be fine but he was suffering from 'starvation' as he had not eaten since they had first boarded the train. Ed, whom was carrying Sarah and holding Homer's hands debated if he should run or stay and face his angry wife. With too little time to debate, Winry found Ed in a matter of seconds. Lon Fon made sure Ling was alright.

"I'm carrying a baby!" Ed warned hoping that Winry just might think twice before hitting him with the wrench. Winry just glared.

"When did you get here and why are you here?" Winry demanded.

"Uh, Ling wanted to visit and Lon Fon needed her auto-mail checked out." Ed told her in a strong voice, hoping that she would buy the truth.

"That makes sense. I haven't seen her in a while. So who else came?" Winry asked unknowing.

"Everyone that was already at home plus Lon Fon and Ling." Ed admitted.

Meanwhile,

"I wonder where Lon Fon, Ling, and the kids ran off to." May wondered aloud. They had gotten separated on a busy street. May being with Al and Xiao-Mei.

"I'm sure Ed is with them. Marith is probably with Tsukiko and Suna." Al assured May.

"Oooh! Alphonse!" A familiar voice cooed from nearby. Al looked around to find Garfiel. "What are you doing here?" Garfiel asked smiling.

"A friend of Winry's needed to get her auto-mail checked so everyone came here." Al replied smiling.

"I can show you where Winry is if you would like. She's been bust though lately. But who is everyone?" Garfiel's mood barley changed.

"There's a lot of people so I promise I'll tell you who exactly when we find them." Al promised.

Elsewhere,

"I can't believe we all got separated like that! Who knew Rush Valley was so busy?" Tsukiko exclaimed surprised. "Do you think everyone is alright?" Tsukiko asked worried.

"Yeah. Suna!" Marith called to the small canine. Suna instantly was in front of Marith with a wagging tail. Marith kneeled in front of Suna. "I want you to try and track Edward." Marith told Suna. Suna barked and sniffed the ground intently for several minutes. The sandy pup plopped down on the ground. The scents of Ed had mixed with the smell of others. "I suppose we'll look around then." Marith said ready to leave for another street. After about half an hour of walking in circles they found Al in front of a crowded shop.

"There you are! We were starting to get worried you were lost!" Al exclaimed leading Marith, Tsukiko, and Suna into the shop through the back entrance. Ed was passed out on the couch with a wrench mark on him. Sarah and Homer were napping while Ling stuffed his face happily. Lon Fon had her auto-mail arm removed. Winry was further away working on an auto-mail arm. May was playing with Xiao-Mei.

"Hmm? Tsukiko!" May greeted Tsukiko happily. "Where were you?" May asked curiously indicating how bored she was.

"We got lost." Tsukiko told her honestly.

"Figures. That street was way to crowded." May sighed.


	14. Chapter 14

After Lon Fon's repairs, everyone, for the exception of Winry, returned to the Elric Estate. The following day was another day for Tsukiko and Marith in the nation of Amestris. They were busy training with their chosen Alchemy; Death Alchemy. After awhile, May Ling yelled through the window to them.

"Dinner, you two!"

They cancelled their Alchemy and walked inside. They sat down and was busy eating their dinner. As they were eating, Homer, Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell-Elric's son spoke up.

"Mother, are we going to visit Grandma Elric?"

Winry sighed, "Yes, Homer, we will, tomorrow."

They continued in silence. As soon as they were done and Tsukiko was helping May with the dishes, Marith walked outside in the dark.

Tsukiko leaned towards May, "Who is this Grandma Elric? Was she the short lady we met?"

"Oh?" May looked at her then shooked her head, "No. Elric is Edward's Mother. She's buried nearby."

"Oh." Tsukiko sighed, then looked at the calendar.

The calendar have the date "October Eleventh" circled in red. Soon, Tsukiko and Marith were getting ready for bed when Tsukiko told Marith about the date.

"Buried?"Marith looked at her with a emotionless face, but Tsukiko knows that she was hinting surprise, "That means we be going to a cemetary tomorrow."

The following day, they travel to the local cemetary. Everyone was dressed in black, which was normal for Tsukiko, Marith, and Suna, whom is wearing a black vest. They placed some white roses onto Trisha's and Holeheim's graves. Marith was watching them from afar. After everyone whom was nearby the graves took care of their business, Lon Fon walked over to Marith.

"Want to come with me to Central? I need to take care of something."

Marith sighed, "Alright. Tsukiko!"

Tsukiko and Suna both jogged over to Marith, "Yes, Marith?"

"I'm going with Lon Fon for a bit. Make sure you train your Alchemy." then Marith's eyes going into a creepy-glare, "If you don't do it or lie to me about doing it, I'll be forced to punish you."

Tsukiko felt afraid, "Y-Yes, Ma'am!"

Marith's face went back to normal, and gave a small smile, "Good. That's what I like to hear. Suna, please make sure she does her chores and training, Okay?"

Suna gave a single bark, as of saying, "Right!"

Marith smiled, then petted Suna, before walking away, "Let's go, Lon Fon."

Lon Fon looked at her, a bit shocked of how quickly her moods can shift into some scary areas, "R-right.", then she followed Marith.

After an hour drive, they arrived in Central. As they were walking to some of the stores, Lon Fon was looking at Marith, on occation. Marith, despite not looking at her, know that Lon Fon was staring at her.

"Is there something upsetting you, Lon Fon?"

Lon Fon was stunned by Marith's direct question, "Yeah. Mainly about you. How long have you been training Tsukiko?"

Marith sighs, "For awhile now. After I rescued her from some punks in Xing. She begged me for a whole month before I relented and trained her."

"Did you ever knew you were a Humonculi?"

"I never knew I was one until that blasted dream." she sighed, "If I had known, I would've killed my father earlier."

Lon Fon looked at her, surprised.

Marith sighed, "He was my biological father, then he ended my life before I knew it. Then he put a philosphier stone into me, thus making me into a Humonculi, forevermore. So, without realizing it, I was his creation to be used however he saw fit. I was always perfect in everything I did because I was created as a Humonculi to be perfect. I'm trying to teach and train Tsukiko to be perfect. I don't care how many years it might take as I got time. There is only one way for her to be a Death Alchemy Master, and that is to kill me. Eventually, I must act out in a way to get her to focus on carrying out the act."

Lon Fon sighed, "I feel sorry for her to have to kill you, whom is her relative and Master."

Marith nodded, "Agree. I feel sorry for her more then I feel sorry for myself. I have forego empathy for myself long before I met her."

Lon Fon sighed. They were walking by a Military Cemetary. Marith looked into the cemetary and saw two ladies standing nearby a headstone. From a picture on the Elric mantle, Marith recognized them. She walked into the cemetary and upto the ladies.

"Hello, Mrs. Hughes and Miss. Hughes." Marith curtsied.

The older lady turned towards her, "Do we know you?"

"No, but I live with Winry and Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist and his brother Alphonse Elric the Armoured Alchemist. They have a picture of both of you on their mantle."

Then the younger one, whom is about ten years old, turned towards her, "How is Sissy?"

"She's doing good. She's currently busy with Auto-mail stuff in Rush Valley." Marith smiled, "Her two children are a bit of a handful for Edward, among household chores without his Alchemy."

"I would like to visit them someday." the young lady sighed, "Forgive me, but who are you?"

"I'm Marith Gloomwood, a State Alchemist. This is Lon Fon, the Emperor of Xing's personal guard, and no, he's not here in Central." Marith smiled.

"I'm Alicia." Alicia curtsied, "And this is my mother. We were visiting Father before we head home."

Marith looked at the tombstone and it read, "Brigadier General Maes Hughes".

"The famous Maes Hughes whom caused the Furhur, Roy Mustang to go onto a blood feud against the Humonculi all those years ago." Then Marith looked into Alicia's and Mrs. Hughes' eyes, "He loved both of you with all of his heart. You two were all he ever focused on and that gave him the drive to change the nation of Amestris."

All three ladies were shocked at what Marith had said. Lon Fon nearly dropped their groceries that she was holding.

"How could you tell all that if we never met before?" Mrs. Hughes asked.

"Easy." Marith sighed and smiled, "It is one of many side-effects that my Alchemy had granted me."

"Wow. I wish I could learn it." Alicia smiled.

Marith shooked her head, with a smile, "No, Alicia, it is more of a curse then a blessing to know so much about a person, as sometimes it go into lives of so many people without meaning to."

"Oh." Alicia sighed, "It would be helpful for my dream job."

"What is that, Alicia?" Marith asked.

"To be a Amestrian Soldier." Alicia smiled.

Marith looked into Alicia's sparkling eyes and was beginning to see something she rarely see in people: their future. She was seeing, at first the eyes, then the face, before seeing the entire body of an adult Alicia, about thirty years in age, saluting. Marith saw an elderly Roy Mustang and an elderly Risa Hawkeye giving medals to the group of soldiers. When they arrived at Alicia, they added a second Silver Star to her current one, thus making her a Major General, one rank higher then her late Father.

Then Marith start seeing a darker vision. It appears to be about two years after the first vision, but Alicia still have the two-star rank. Alicia was walking into a dark building with two lower ranked soldiers. They entered the run-down, basically abandoned building, which appeared to be a school or hospital of some sort. Suddenly a howl was heard and a wolf skull clamped around the lowest ranked soldier and ripped off his head. Alicia ordered the remaining soldier to fire, which he did. They both retreated as fast as they could. As they were running, the wolf skull, which was on a bony chain came flying fast at Alicia, whom used a table to slow it down, which happened.

As they were still running, the lower-ranked officer ran out of ammunation, so he stashed his gun and took out two gloves. As the wolf head made another strike at them, the man slammed his fists together, then into the ground, creating a giant stone wall.

"Good job, Major Stonewall!"

"Thank you, Ma'am, but let's keep going!" Stonewall replied.

"Right."

They continue to run. They ran into a giant room that appeared to be a gymnasium. Stonewall created a perimeter around the Room. As they were resting, Alicia was studying the room.

"What are you doing, Ma'am?"

"I'm trying to put what Master Elric had taught me. Both him and Lady Elric had taught me alot before I join the Military and during my entire time in it." Alicia smiled before she put down five knives in a pentagon formation.

She threw a few more in other areas. Then a wolf skull bashed down one spot. Alicia triggered her Alkahistory traps, but the figure, whom was carrying a scythe with the wolf-skull-bony-chain attached to it. The figure was wearing a black Xingese-style military uniform, but it isn't the normal Xing uniform.

"Create a statue!"

"Right!" and Stonewall created a wall of them.

Alicia threw more knives, which osmosised into the statues. Then she triggered her Alkahistory again, which caused the statues to move. The statues all charged at the figure, whom effortlessly, bisected them, before quartering them. The figure then threw the skull at Stonewall. He created a wall, but the figure's fingers moved, which caused the skull to veer around the barricade and landed into the right side of his ribs, biting deep.

"Stonewall!" Alicia clapped her gloved hands together and created a decent sized Reversed-Gillotene, which severed the connections the skull had with the Scythe.

The gloves had an Alchemy circle on them. The figure walked, confidently and femininly, towards them. Meanwhile, in the present day, the three ladies were become afraid by Marith's morbid and horrified face and demeanor, but Marith is unable to hear their pleas to wake up. Marith is frozen in fear.

Back in the Vision, Marith, as well as the other two, was seeing a more feminine figure. Alicia growled at the Figure.

"How could you betray us! Sissy's husband was your supervisor!"

The figure chuckled, which sounded Xingese, quite similar to a chuckle Marith remembers, but it was far more sinister then normal.

"Oh, the FullMetal brat might've been my supervisor, but I owed him no such loyality. I only owe loyality to three people in my entire life; my cousin, Suna the Sand-wolf, and my Commanding Officer whom will help me to rescue my cousin from the corrupt Xingese prison." the figure smile, showing fangs like a wolf, "This former site of the late Fifth Labatory will be an excellent base of operations to get unwilling recruits for the Commander's Coup that he's going to be doing against the Emperor and the Auto-Mail Empress."

"You know her?" Stonewall asked, holding onto his wounds.

"Of course. I had known her for quite some time." Alicia glared and growled, "Ain't that right...Tsukiko?"

Then the figure walked into the light, showing a young adult, much out of time, Tsukiko holding her broken Scythe. Tsukiko smiled, a few moments before a slightly larger-then-average female Sand-Wolf walked into the room. It's left eye, which is on Alicia's right side, appeared to bear the Orobos tattoo.

"Now a half-Humonculi, Kiko? Both of you?" Alicia asked.

"Yes. Suna is gifted with the God Eye while I have the God Spear." Tsukiko smiled.

Meanwhile, in the real world, Lon Fon had already suggested to Mrs. Hughes to bring Alicia home and comfort her while Lon Fon try to snap Marith out of the Fear-Striken appearance. It took Lon Fon about another thirty minutes, before Marith screamed and fainted. The scream was a blood-chilling and blood-curling scream of GENUINE terror, a first for Marith. Lon Fon placed the bag of groceries on top of Marith before carrying both back to the Elric household. When they arrived, it was already dark and Winry was back home. Edward jumped when Lon Fon kicked the door off of the hinges.

May and Winry both quickly attend to Marith, while Tsukiko, on Lon Fon's suggestion, took care of the groceries. Once they put Marith into her bed, Lon Fon was in the living room with all the adults, as the two children were safely back in bed.

"What happened?" Winry asked.

"I don't know. We were talking with Alicia Hughes and her mother in front of Maes' grave. Marith seemed to be staring at Alicia a lot. At one point, she wouldn't look away. That's when her face began to shift from normal emotionless, to sheer terror. It took over thirty, maybe sixty minutes before she screamed and passed out. The scream was so terrifing that it made my blood ran cold and congelled. I have no problem watching Amestrian horror films and be fine. This was the real deal, a real scream of a terrified woman whom had seen death itself."

Tsukiko sighed, "Marith's 'Connection Sight' ability came through again didn't it?"

"If you are talking about her telling them, on our first meeting, that Maes Hughes had loved them so much that they were his inspiration to change the nation, then yes."

Tsukiko smiled, "That's exactly what I'm talking about. She probably saw Alicia's future." she frowned.

"Her Future?" Lon Fon asked, "I thought that was impossible."

"Normally, it is. If it did happened, this would be the fifth time it had occurred." Tsukiko sighed, "Four other times, they were all happy futures, all of them came true."

"But the Future isn't set in stone." May argues.

"Normally, no." Tsukiko sighed, "Unless the person is so focused on making it reality, no matter the hardships."

"What was Alicia's goal in life?" Al asked.

Lon Fon sighed, "To be an Amestrian Soldier."

"She'll have a long hard road in front of her." Ed commented.

"That's not all, Elric." Marith decended the staircase, still trying to hold onto anything for support.

May ran to her and help her over to a chair.

"Can you please fill in the rest for us, Marith?" May asked as gentle as possible.

Marith lowered her head, "I can."

The room became quiet, as quiet as a morgue.

"When I was beginning to see Alicia's future, she had aged about twenty years when an elder Roy and Risa gave her a new rank. One higher then her father's rank." she sighed then continued, "Then it went about a couple years later, that's when it started to get dark. They went to a school of some sort, according to a figure,whom I'l mention later, said that it was on the site of the former Fifth Labortory in Central."

A collective gasp from all except from Marith and Tsukiko.

"Then a figure attacked her and two others. One of them was a Stone Wall alchemist of some sort. Alicia was using a combination of Metal Alchemy and Alkahistory." Then she looked up, "May Lin and Alphose Elric are her Master and Lady whom taught her these things. Before she ever entered the Military."

The couple looked at each other, more surprised then anything. Al looked over at Ed, whom had a thumb's up, congradulating him at being a trainer.

"The figure mentioned about me being in a Xingese Prison and about a corrupted Emperor." which caused Ling to look up, pouting, "And his Auto-Mail Empress."

That line caused all to look directly at Lon Fon, whom instictly blushed at the sudden attention.

"H-Hey, wait! I only protect him from harm! I-It's forbidden for me, a protector and servant, to be in love, let alone to marry my Liege!"

"You were more public then Old Man Fu." Ed mentioned, and got a Kunai-wrench combo as a reply.

"That's not the worst part. The figure was someone I trust whom became a half-Humonculi. She acquired the God Spear, similar to Lust, while her sidekick had the God Eye, smiliar to Wrath." then she sighed and looked at Tsukiko, "The Figure whom attacked Alicia twenty-two years from now, is you, Tsukiko Shinigami and Suna."

Tsukiko fell onto the floor, in shock that she would be the one to attack her fellow friends. She was beginning to cry at the mere thought.

"I-It can't be true!" Tsukiko cried, which got Winry to hug her instantly.

"If we do not have Alicia join the Military, but be more of a traveler with Al and May, then she may not have to suffer."

Then Marith stood up, walked over to the door Then she opened it and sprotted bony wings which began to flap. Before anyone could stop her, she was flying back to Central. After about fifteen minutes of flying, she landed on the remains of the Fifth Labatory. She hid herself on the roof and start crying as quietly as she could.


	15. Chapter 15

Marith still sat on the ruins of Laboratory Five. Her wings had encased her in almost a shield. Thanks to the streets desolate around the Laboratory nobody witnessed it. The sun was going to set soon. She could make it back hopefully before dark, lest she cause worry. That would really upset Tsukiko and Suna further. So slowly, gathering her bearings she got ready to leave. A small pause and the thought of going to apologize to Ms. Hughes and Elicia. Deciding after a few minutes, Marith decided to wait until tomorrow. Allowing her wings to take flight she reached the home before to long. Ed and Al were both expecting her.

"How is Tsukiko?" Marith asked softly.

"I think it's best if you see for yourself." Al told her which annoyed Marith slightly.

"May and Lan Fan are making dinner." Ed commented knowing he would miss Winry's cooking. Ed and Al both walked inside and with a long moment of hesitation, Marith walked in as well.

Tsukiko sat sniffling on the couch. Suna gave a light whimper licking her tear-stained cheeks in a small effort to make Tsukiko feel better. Marith couldn't bear sight of someone so close, crying so hard from the news she had brought forth. She truly didn't want to believe that Tsukiko would go so far as to do such things, but she knew it wasn't a terrible dream to awake from. Winry sat next to Tsukiko offering comfort that did appear to ease it.

"Do you really think Tsukiko would do it?" Ed asked quietly.

Marith thought about it. She could hardly recall that when Tsukiko had first asked to be trained she had mentioned she liked fighting and killing. It hadn't quite crossed her mind at the time with the bandits having made a weak attempt at being bandits. Perhaps Marith would not have had this situation in the first place had she not trained her, but then a great deal of other more precious things wouldn't have happened.

Another thing to consider was that Marith and Tsukiko only had each other at this point. Even if 'M' had been nice, he was most certainly gone forever now and with no parents or any other family members that they knew of, it was just them. So why wouldn't she want to fight to protect what she did have? On a more personal note, Marith was a homunculus. She could never die unless it was in battle. Tsukiko would pass on if she never completed her training leaving Marith. Or Tsukiko could complete her training and kill Marith. Turning into a homunculus would mean Tsukiko could not finish her training and not pass on. It would seem like a perfect way.

While Tsukiko, Ling, and Lan Fan were not the best of friends they did seem like they were good friends. Betrayal in such a way was not taken lightly by most. Marith briefly wondered why exactly she was in jail. It would help a bit to understand why Tsukiko was upset. Suna was much easier to figure out. Suna always followed in Marith's and Tsukiko's steps happily. If someone was evil, they were evil. If Ed was short he was short , although he had certainly grown by this point.

Marith made up her mind and though she regretted to admit it she finally told Ed, "Yes. I believe she would." Tsukiko didn't catch the words. Ed and Al both seemed to understand where she was coming from.

"Even if she did though, if Tsukiko didn't kill like some of the other," Al paused briefly thinking about Wrath, Lust, Gluttony, Envy, Sloth, and Pride, "Then we wouldn't have to kill her. Like Ling and you, Marith." It was certainly something to consider, but if Tsukiko was attacking Elicia then she had a pretty good idea that went against their requirements. Marith was quite powerful and could certainly become a threat in an instant, but Marith was opposed to the idea of killing innocents which was better than most.

"Are you sad?" Homer asked wide-eyed and staring at her. Tsukiko wiped her eyes and gave a weak smile.

"I'm fine." Tsukiko assured the small boy who handed her a wooden train.

"Will you play with us?" Were the next words Homer said and both Tsukiko and Winry gave a light chuckle.

"STOP EATING ALL THE FOOD!" Ed's angered voice came out loud and clear.

It did not take very long to figure out who was eating everything. Ed was sure that he would be broke from paying for food if Ling didn't leave soon.

"But it's gooooood!" Ling whined being kicked out of the kitchen.

Due to Ed using his auto-mail leg and Ling having his Ultimate Shield up an audible pop was heard. There was silence for a moment before Ed was hit with a wrench and bleeding on the hard floors.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO STOP BREAKING YOUR AUTO-MAIL!" Winry shouted dragging Ed away.

Ling meanwhile watched with amusement and a sandwich, a very large sandwich. Marith and Tsukiko were almost amazed. Depressing news one minute and the next, nothing terrible was going on. It was peaceful or at least as peaceful as it could be with Ed breaking his auto-mail. Marith and Tsukiko both gave a smile while Suna barked happily.

After about a half hour dinner was served and thanks to Winry finding out that all that was wrong was a loose screw, Ed survived. May and Lan Fan had made a Xingese dinner. One that only Al, Ling, Tsukiko, and Marith recognized. Winry, Ed, and Homer weren't quite so sure while Sarah found amusement. Winry kept a close eye to make sure she didn't try anything funny.

"Where did you get the supplies to make this?" Winry asked biting into the food. While Winry wasn't sure before, the food was good.

"You had everything we needed except for a few things and all we had to was just cook it." May told her smiling with pride.

"This looks so good!" Tsukiko said happily but prayed as usual before taking a bite.

"Thanks!" May smiled. It had only taken May and Lan Fan four fights to finish dinner.

Dinner passed with small talk and no reminder of the event that had happened earlier. Though it lurked in the back of her mind, Marith thought over several different ideas to find out what would cause Tsukiko to go so far and how it could be prevented.


End file.
